


Manifest Darkness (Sequel to Darkness Within)

by AntiJill



Series: Darkness Series [2]
Category: Anti, Antisepticeye - Fandom, Danti - Fandom, Darkiplier - Fandom, Septiplier - Fandom, dark - Fandom, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Gay, M/M, YouTube, thisshitgetscrazy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-03-22 03:51:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 28,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13755720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AntiJill/pseuds/AntiJill
Summary: (Book 2/3) Mark and Jack are left to deal with the consequences of their choices.





	1. Chapter 1- Bottled Up

** Mark- **

"Sean, are you ready?"

No response. Typical.

"Come on, get your lazy ass off the couch and go get yourself looking presentable."

"For what?"

"Therapy, Sean."

"I don't need therapy. I'm not going."

I pinch the bridge of my nose and let out a breath."Yes, you are."

"I don't take orders from you. You're not my father, my boss, or my boyfriend, and I don't have to listen to a damn thing you say."

Ouch. That stings, and he knows it.

"Well, I'm a concerned friend."

He scoffs. "Yea, quite some friend. That's why you made me fall down the stairs."

"I didn't-" I bite back a sharp retort and sigh. "Come on, Sean. Disinterest in activities and social interaction is a symptom of depression, it's called anhedonia."

"I don't give a fuck what it's called! I'm not depressed! And if I am, the only thing making me feel that way is your naggy ass!"

I feel my hands clench into fists. The doctors said not to lose my temper with him, but I'm past that point.

"Naggy? Me, naggy? You've got to be fucking kidding me right now. I'm trying to help you! And I'm not the one making you go to therapy, the doctors are. You need to talk to someone so that you don't keep all your feelings bottled up inside of you and kill yourself!" I spit the words at him.

He looks at me, his blue eyes ice cold. "Why do you care? You'd be happy if I did." he says and gets up from the couch, grabbing his keys and phone. He walks past me, grabs the paper with the address of the therapist's office from the table and stalks out, slamming the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2- Home

** Sean- **

I walk into the building where my therapist is, or at least, that's what the paper says. I'm still fuming from the argument back home.

No.

Not home.

The only reason I'm still there is because the doctors have appointed Mark as my 'guardian', saying that I'm a danger to myself and unsafe to live alone.

Bullshit.

If I could, I'd leave in a heartbeat.

I sigh and walk into the reception area. An old lady with a nasally voice takes a year and a day to type me into a computer that's probably the age of one of her grandchildren.

 _S...e...a...n....M ..._  you get the point.

I give an impatient sigh, and she shoots me a dirty look. "Problem, young man?"

"Oh, no. It's just that unlike you, I'm not about to die, and I have things to do with my life instead of sit here forever."

She shakes her wrinkly, balding head and turns back to the computer. Two years later, she shakily hands me a clipboard. I grab it and fill it out in two minutes, handing it back.

After that, I'm told to take a seat, and I wait another few years before my name is finally called. Jeez, this is for my 'depression', but in all the time I've been waiting to be seen, I could have left and killed myself several times already.

I'm directed to a room with an ugly green couch and a table upon which rests none other than a box of tissues."Oh my God" I mutter. "This can't get any worse."

A minute later, a woman walks in. She's about my age, and cute, too. Caramel skin, dark brown hair.

And brown eyes. Like Mark's.

Stop it, Sean. Fuck him, he's not important.

She smiles and walks up to me, and we shake hands.

"Hi, I'm Cierra, nice to meet you."

"Sean."

"Please, have a seat."

I sit down on the rickety couch, and it creaks under my weight.

She crosses her legs and looks at me. "So, how are you feeling?"

I give her a look of loathing and internally groan. I don't need to kill myself, this is already my own personal hell.

She sees my face and laughs."I'm kidding, relax. Just messing with you."

I laugh slightly.

"So, what's been happening lately?"

And so it begins. An hour later, though it seems like 5 minutes, she looks at her watch and sighs. "I'm sorry, Sean. I have another patient after you."

"Oh...okay."

She smiles. "It was nice to meet you, and I'll see you next week, okay?"

I grin. For some reason, next week can't come soon enough.

I walk myself out and go to my car. Time to go home- time to go to Mark's house.

Wait.

He's not my father. And I'm an adult, I don't have a curfew. I drive out of the parking lot and head for the bar.

When in doubt, drink your feelings out.

I'm gonna get shitfaced.

gonna get shitfaced.he parking lot and head for the bar. When in doubt, drink your feelings out. I'm 


	3. Chapter 3- Never Hurt Anybody

** Mark- **

It's been over an hour. He should be home by now. He's not answering my texts. Asshole. This is the last thing I need.

I use the Find my Friend app on my phone, which is ironic, seeing as right now we're the farthest thing you can get from friends, and when I see where he is, I roll my eyes.

He's at 3AM, a bar nearby.

It's not too far, I can walk. Besides, what's the point of taking two cars? There's no way he's driving home.

When I get to the bar, I haven't even opened the door and I can already hear the music. I walk in, and I'm assaulted by the stench of smoke, booze, and sweat. I look around, and finally find Sean sitting at the counter, laughing stupidly at something the bartender said. He has several empty beer bottles in front of him, as well as a few shot glasses.

Wonderful.

I walk up to him and tap him on the shoulder. He turns and looks at me with glazed eyes. "Hey, Markimoo, look who showed up?" he says, slurring slightly.

"Come on, we're going home." I say, taking his arm and pulling him away from the counter. Before I can react, he puts a hand behind my head and kisses me. I force myself to pull away. I can taste the alcohol on his breath. "Sean, stop. You're drunk. We're not dating, and you'd kill me if I let you do this. "

He laughs idiotically. "So? A little one night stand never hurt anyone." 


	4. Chapter 4- Who I Want

**Mark-**

**He laughs idiotically. "So? A little one night stand never hurt anyone."**

 

"Yes, it did! A one night stand has hurt lots and lots of people!" I say, staring at him in disbelief. He rolls his eyes and kisses me again. His hands go to my chest, and this time, I kiss him back eagerly. I've missed this. Missed us.

I'm pulled out of my trance when I hear someone catcall "Fags!". I break away.

"Don't listen to them, baby." Sean says, leaning towards me, though I can't tell if he wants to kiss me or if his balance is compromised from the alcohol. Probably both.

"It's not them, it's you! You're hammered, and going home, now!"

He pouts. "Come on, Markimoo, let's get a  _ruhm_." he slurs, drawing out the last word, making fun of how I say it.

"The only thing we're getting is you into bed, and some advil in the morning." I grab his hand and pull him along, towards the door. He stumbles, and I sigh, grabbing him by the waist and throwing him over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He lets out a surprised "Oh!"

In this position, he's talking to my ass as he says "I like when you get rough with me, Mark. I'll go to bed- on one condition: you get in with me."

I decide I don't need him staring at my ass, so I move him as to where his legs are around my waist, head next to mine. His warm breath tickles my ear, and I shiver involuntarily.

"Please, Marky."

No. We don't do that anymore. He's drunk, and I'd be taking advantage of him. He's not in his right mind. He doesn't know what he wants.

I freeze mid-step when I feel something sharp pinch my ear. I feel his lips move, from my ear down to my neck. I give a slight gasp, and he continues, reaching a particularly sensitive area on my neck, and I let out a moan. I move my head away from him.

"Jesus, Jack, stop! You're fucking drunk!"

He giggles. "I'm not drunk, I'm just a bit tipsy."

He hiccups and continues. "And besides, a little booze on the brain doesn't stop me from knowing what I want. From knowing...." He whispers the next words into my ear, raising goosebumps along my arms and sending shivers down my spine.

" _Who_  I want."


	5. Chapter 5- Done

** Mark- **

No, we did not bang.

I carried him to his car, and set him down in the back. After a few more minutes of whining, he passed out, curled up on the seat. It was quite cute, though he'd kill me if he heard me say that. I bring him home and set him down on his bed, then go to mine.

I wake up earlier than I'd like to the next morning. Jack is still asleep, snoring away, so I close the blinds and draw the curtains, trying to make his impending hangover less miserable than it has to be. I go to the bathroom and return with two Advil and a glass of water, setting them on the night stand. Awkwardly, I sit on the edge of the bed. It's been awhile since we've been on any bed together.

A few minutes later, his phone goes off, several times, startling me. I dig it out of his pocket, trying to silence it so it doesn't wake him up. On the screen are several texts from a number I don't recognize:

_Jack?_

_It's me, Dylan_

_You good, bro?_

_I just woke up_

_You okay? The guy you walked out with yesterday looked a lot like the guy you described. The one who molested you._

_Jack?_

Are you kidding me? Disgusted, I toss the phone on the bed. I can't be in here anymore. Fuming, I grab a chair from the dining room and station it in the hallway.

A little while later, he steps out. "Why are you out here?"

"Oh, I just figured you'd want me to keep my distance and stay as far away from you as possible, seeing as I'm a molester and all." I respond nonchalantly.

His eyes widen. "How do you-?". In response, I take my phone from my pocket.

"You-you read my texts!"

"Yes, I did." I smile coldly. "So, did you get his number before or after you were too drunk to stand on your own two feet?"

"That's not the point. Even though I am pissed that you read my texts. You did molest me."

"For the last fucking time, that was Dark, not me! And he didn't molest you! Get over yourself. He kissed you, and maybe he did get a bit handsy, but that's it. Besides, you liked it."

He opens his mouth and closes it, instead opening his hand to reveal the two Advils. "You trust me with this, in a room by myself? Sure I'm not gonna overdose or something?"

I stand up. "Are you serious?"

He sighs and takes a step back. "Mark, it was a joke. Forget I said anything."

"No! You're joking about suicide like it's no big deal!"

"Mark, I know it's a big deal. I'm sorry. If this is about Daniel-"

"This is not about Daniel! This is about you! You being a rude, ungrateful,petty, and immature son of a bitch! I have tried to apologize. I am still trying to help you! And what do you do? Kick me in the ass and tell people I'm a molester. Well, you know what? I'm done." I say, and storm to my room, slamming and locking the door.  

*************************************************************************************************************

Just to clarify, Daniel refers to Daniel Kyre, hence Mark getting angry when he thinks Sean is treating suicide lightly and mentioning him. Sorry for any confusion.

R.I.P Daniel Kyre, we all miss you. 


	6. Chapter 6- Repeat the Exercise

**Warning: Self Harm**

**Sean-**

"Mark. Mark, come on, open the fucking door already! It's been four hours! And you call me immature?"

I sigh. There's no response. For all I know, he's crawled out the damn window. Chica comes up to me, and I scratch behind her ears, for that I'm promptly rewarded with slobbery kisses. At least someone here still likes me. She starts to scratch at the door.

"Mark, come on. Chica wants you."

A minute later the door opens, just enough for Chica to slip through before it slams shut again. "Wow, Mark, really? You can't call me petty after what you just did."

I sigh and lean on the door, sliding down to the floor. I've tried being nice, I've tried apologizing, I've tried bribing, threatening, trying to get him angry. Nothing. Mark isn't one to be angry at anyone for long. I've really hurt him.

And for what? For trying to help me?

I mean, yes, this may not have happened if he hadn't done what he did, but he did apologize...

But at the same time, hurting me, keeping Dark a secret from me?

I can't forgive that.

Or maybe I can...maybe I just don't want to.

I scowl at the door, starting to get angry. "You know, it's pretty stupid, how you flip out on me for joking about my own death, but then act like I'm not here,"

Finally, the lock clicks, the knob turns, and I'm facing an angry Mark. A broken Mark. Disbelief, pain, and anger etch his face, and his eyes are red. "You don't get it, do you? You just don't get it. You're so selfish, you don't even stop to think what would happen, or how you would affect your family, friends, fans,  _me_ , if you did something, or something happened to you. You just-" he sighs and shakes his head. "Do whatever, Jack, I don't care."

"But, I-" I start to say, but Mark cuts me off.

"You what? You're sorry? I don't believe you. And if you are sorry, you're feeling sorry for yourself, not for what you did. You're pathetic." he closes the door, and I lose it.

" _Mark, please!_ " I scream, but he's as silent as the wooden barrier between us.

I walk away, moving into the kitchen. My eyes land on a knife on the counter, light reflecting off the shiny blade.

In a daze, a trance, I pick it up.

Pain. I need to feel pain, to make up for the pain I inflicted on Mark.

I press the cold, unforgiving, emotionless metal against my inner arm, breathing heavily. Before I can stop myself, I jerk the blade across the tender, pale skin of my wrist. My hand clenched in a fist, I grit my teeth to hold back the scream mounting in my throat. Hand shaking, I bring the blade to my bloody wrist, and repeat the exercise.

Once.

Twice.


	7. Chapter 7- Salad

**Sean-**

I stand there, watching my blood drip into the sink, the deep red a sharp contrast against the clean white surface. I wash it down the drain, my mind numb-my arm, not so much. I go into the bathroom and find a first aid kit, bandaging my wounds. Then I go to my room and find a baggy sweatshirt that has sleeves that reach my fingertips. Perfect. I don't need him seeing this, seeing what I did, though I doubt he'd care if he did. He'd just yell at me, tell me how much of an arrogant, selfish bastard I am, and how disgusting and pathetic I'm being.

Like I need that.

Before long, I'm sweating, but I ignore it.

I go into the kitchen, cursing myself when I realize that I left the knife on the counter. I'm about to wash it of the blood when I hear Mark coming down the stairs. Panicking, I quickly toss it into a drawer at random.

_Shit shit shit._

Silently, he goes into the refrigerator and starts pulling out ingredients for something, I think a salad. He drops the stuff on the counter and frowns. "Didn't I have a knife here?"

I freeze.

Act normal. He doesn't know.

"Umm, no, I don't think so..."

"Huh." he says, pursing his lips as he goes to the wooden knife block and grabs another one.

"Aren't you hot?"

He sees the sweat, obviously.

"N-no, fine."

He frowns. "Okay, suit yourself." And continues making his salad.


	8. Chapter 8- Promise Me

** Sean- **

"Sean, could you come here for a second?" I hear Mark call from downstairs.

I hope this isn't what I think it is- I haven't been able to move and clean the knife, as Mark has conveniently decided to spend all his time downstairs, either in the kitchen or an adjoining room, so eventually I just retreated upstairs.

"Coming!" I yell, walking down the stairs. I enter the kitchen, and he's leaning on the counter, arms crossed, face impassive.

"Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Shit! I knew this moment would come, and I've been dreading it.

"Uh, no, I don't think so."

He nods. "Oh, okay. So, you can't explain this?" He asks, reaching behind him and showing me the knife, dried blood on the edge of the blade. I stay silent, and he must see the guilt on my face.

"Show me your arms."

"What? No! Why?"

He scowls. "Come on, Sean, I'm not stupid. The huge sweatshirt when it's the hottest friggin day in L.A? Show me your arms."

I bite my lip and lift the sleeve of my left arm with shaking fingers, revealing the slightly bloody bandages. He walks over, taking my arm and examining it, a look of sorrow, pain, anger, and disgust on his face. He doesn't speak for several minutes. Finally, he meets my eyes, and in a strangled voice, asks "Why would you do this?"

My mouth opens and closes several times, like a fish.

"I...you..." I say weakly, trailing off. He looks me in the eyes, not releasing me from his gaze. "This is not the answer. This is never the answer. Next time, please, talk to me, talk to someone."

I nod, and he sighs. "I'm sorry for how I acted earlier. I know how hard this is for you to believe, giving your tendency to believe I'm against you and wish you dead-" He stops when he sees my expression. "Which, of course, is partly my fault. But, whether you believe me or not, just listen. I told you in the hospital, and I'll tell you again, and I'll tell you every day if I have to- I love you." He leans toward me and gently presses his lips to mine, moving away a second later. "And I'm not going to let the people I love destroy themselves."

He takes my hand. "Please, I want you to promise me that you won't do this again. Promise me."

"I promise." I whisper. He smiles slightly and squeezes my hand reassuringly. "C'mon, I can make popcorn, and we can watch a movie."

I grin. "Popcorn? In your microwave?"

He laughs. "Yes, in my microwave."

I smile, forgetting completely that I'm supposed to be angry with him, and he seems to have forgotten that he's supposed to be ignoring me. And I'm perfectly okay with that.

"Thanks, Mark."

"Don't mention it."  

**************************************

Did anyone get the reference? Let me know, it was toward the end. 


	9. Chapter 9- Popcorn

**Mark-**

After the popcorn is made, I toss him a bucket of the stuff and grab some blankets. We decide to watch Gravity, and I turn off the lights. Sean gets comfortable on the couch, snuggling under the blanket, head on my chest. I have one hand in my popcorn, the other running through his green locks. At some point, he takes my hand. Before the movie is over, he's asleep. I chuckle and pick him up, wrapped in the blanket. I carry him upstairs and lay him on his bed, but before I can leave, he grabs my hand.

"Where are you going?"

"To bed..."

"Yea, so where are you going?"

I roll my eyes, and he scoots over, making room for me. When I climb in, he leans over and kisses me. "I love you."

"I love you too."


	10. Chapter 10- The One

**Sean-**

A few days later, Mark goes with me to therapy. When we're in the waiting room, Cierra walks in and smiles at me, then her gaze goes to Mark, and her eyes widen. "Mark?"

Mark looks at her. "Cierra?"

I frown. "Wait- you two know each other?"

Mark laughs. "Yea, she helped me get back to you after I got kicked out of the hospital. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm only a part time nurse, I need the extra money. I'm really a psychiatrist."

"Awesome."

She nods and looks at the two of us. "So, this is your boyfriend?"

Mark smiles and puts an arm around my shoulders, kissing my cheek. "Yep, the one."

She laughs and says to me "He went through quite a lot of trouble trying to see you. He's lucky he wasn't arrested."

Mark shrugs. "He's worth it."

I feel my cheeks burn, and Mark smirks and puts his lips close to my ear. "You're fucking adorable when you blush. If we were home, well, I'd make you do much more than just blush." he whispers, his warm breath tickles my ear, and I shiver.

He chuckles. "Well, I'm going to go shopping for food, otherwise we'd starve, as  _someone_  hasn't yet gone and gotten the groceries I asked him for two days ago."

I roll my eyes. "Go away."

"Hey, you better be nice to me, otherwise you can walk your ass home."

"Well, you're not exactly the best driver, so that's not really a bad thing."

"Yea, yea, whatever."

"I'll see you soon." I say.

He sighs. "Sadly, yes."

I turn and give him the finger before walking away with Cierra, his laughter following me down the hall.


	11. Chapter 11- Dinner

**Mark** -

When Jack and I get home, he suggests that we cook dinner together. I agreed, because with Jacks stubborn nature, I didn't have much of a choice. Not that I really minded, though. We argued about what to eat, but it was nothing like our previous arguments. This was playful bickering, like an old married couple. We finally settled for spaghetti, because we were too lazy to make something that actually required much effort. We started cooking dinner, but Sean seemed to be a bit distracted, he kept looking over at me and managed to burn himself with hot water and get spaghetti sauce on his shirt. The next time he looked at me, my eyes caught his and he looked down, embarrassed. I chuckled lightly, rolling my eyes.

"Go get yourself cleaned up. I'll make dinner." I said. He sighed reluctantly but did as I asked. I ended up doing...everything. I set the table, made the meal. I was basically becoming a housewife. Dammit.

Anyways, after dinner, I was cleaning up, and regretting my decision of doing so after mulling it over in my mind. My hands in the soapy water, I look over my shoulder and call "You know, you do live here and eat the food on my table. The least you could do is clean up after yourself, ya Irish pig."

There's no response to my statement, and I sigh, shaking my head. As much as I hate to admit it, I work just as hard as he does, and I don't find it fair that I'm doing this while he's laying around.

I feel arms wrap around my waist, and a chin rest on my shoulder, the sudden contact makes me jump.

"Well, we could do that... But I have a better idea." Sean says. I reach over and turn off the water, turning to face him. "Oh, yea? What's that? You wash, and dry, and make breakfast tomorrow? Sounds great!"

He rolls his eyes. "No, I was thinking of something different." He leans forward and kisses me, but I pull back, turning away. "I have things to do."

I hear Sean let out a huff of disappointment, and I could practically feel the hurt filled eyes burning into the back of my skull. However, I stayed resilient, and kept my eyes trained on the soapy water, even though every fiber of my being was screaming at me to turn around and sweep up the small Irishman into a loving embrace. I let out a shaky sigh, clenching my jaw slightly, as if I was going to bite off my own tongue.

Sean's arms stayed locked around my waist. "Come on." he whines next to my ear. "I know you want it, just as much as I do." I let out a harsh exhale, and through gritted teeth I force out "Jack, stop." I close my eyes tightly, my wet hands gripping the soapy plate I had been washing. It was keeping me from digging my fingernails so hard into my palms that I'd make myself bleed. I hear another huff in my ear, the warm air making me involuntarily shiver.

"Come on..." He mutters, his thumbs making small circles against my hips.

"N-no, Sean." I say a bit firmer, though there was a desperate tone in my voice, and we both heard it. I was breaking, giving in, and we both knew it.

I grab the fork in the sink with a jerky, forced movement, desperate to distract myself and continue my task. I use crappy, dollar store utensils, and I grip it so tightly that it bends in my grasp. I bite my lip so hard that I actually taste blood. Squeezing my eyes shut, I make one last plea. "Sean, please. Stop." I beg. I look over my shoulder at Sean, my eyes pleading for mercy. Seans crystal blue eyes look back at me, a flash of hurt showing before he lets go, looking down in shame and stepping away from me. He clamps his hands together, and I see him claw at his wrist with his nails. Turning off the water, I go over and envelope him in a hug. "It's okay, Sean."

He pulls away, looking at his feet. "No, it's fine. I get it. I'm annoying. It's okay, I totally understand."

I gently take his wrist, intertwining our fingers together. "Sean, no, stop that. You're not. It's just...I don't think you know what you want, and I can't do..that with you, at least, not yet."

Sean looks at our hands for a short moment, his gaze locking on them before pulling his hand away, running it over his face and sighing. "I...I'm gonna turn in for the night." he mumbles, and without another word turns away, walking off in the direction of his room. I open my mouth, close it, open, and close it again, like a fish out of water. I suppose I was one, I certainly felt like it. I didn't know what to do except hopelessly flail my limbs and try to get back to water, but it was no use. I just...stood there.

Drowning on land.


	12. Chapter 12- Checking Up On You

**Sean -**

That night was like my own personal hell. Trapped alone with my own thoughts, nothing and no one to console or comfort me, or just to distract me.

I lay down in the bed, gripping the sheets, letting them go, gripping the sheets, letting go, gripping, letting go. Cierra had told me that I should find an object to squeeze, supposedly releasing the stress I had. I try for what seems like hours- nothing worked. Several times through the night, when Cierra's words came to mind, I saw a brief image of my hands wrapped around Mark's throat- stop. This isn't his fault.

After several hours without a hint of sleep, I was still laying in bed, mentally cursing myself for what I had done. I rub my face, groaning, and begin to unconsciously scratch at my wrist, where the scars were, a habit I had developed.

"I'm such an idiot." I hiss to myself. Suddenly, my self-pity session is interrupted when I hear footsteps walking down the hall, in the direction of my room. Quickly, I pull the blanket over my head, hiding. To my dismay, there's a gentle knock at my door a minute later, followed by Mark's soft voice.

"Hey, Sean? You in there?" he asks, and I roll my eyes at the absurdity, the stupidity of the question. Where else would I be?

"N-no, I'm sleeping." I call, digging the nail of my pointer finger into the soft flesh of my wrist.

"Yea, right." Mark mumbles. "Can I come in?" he asks, but I can see the doorknob already turning as he speaks.

"Well, I don't really have a choice, do I?" I mutter, loud enough for him to hear.

"No, not really." He muses jokingly, opening the door and walking in.

"Then what the hell was the point of asking?" I snap, clawing at my wrist under the covers.

"I dunno...I just thought it'd be polite."he mumbles, looking away sheepishly.

"Why are you here, Mark?" I ask, irritated.

"I-I just wanted to check up on you. Make sure you were okay and...stuff." he says, flashing me a small smile. To me, it looked forced.

"Well, I'm fine." I scowl, then sigh. He had come to see how I was doing, in the middle of the jight, when he could've been sleeping. There was no reason to take my anger out on him. "I'm sorry." I sigh. "Are you okay?"

His expression changes from sheepish and embarrassed to relieved almost instantly. "Yea, I'm alright." he says, taking a seat next to me on the bed. I edge away a bit. I'm not completely sure why, but something makes me not want to be close to him, physically or emotionally. Unfortunately, he notices immediately and makes up for the distance, scooting closer. "Sean? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I snarl, and it comes out harsher than I meant it to. He flinches, but puts a hand on my thigh, I move my knee away, and he clicks his tongue, clucking at me. "Tsk, tsk. Don't be that way, babe."

"D-don't call me that." I spit the words at him. "Leave me alone."

Mark rolls his eyes, looking to the side. "Whatever you want." he mumbles sarcastically, causing me to fume. What was  _wrong_ with him?

"What I  _want_ is for you to leave me alone!" I snap, practically shouting. I had no idea why I was so angry, but Mark was just pissing me off further. If this was his idea of 'checking up on me', then I was fine without it.

He smirks. "I'm just a bit confused, because just a few hours ago, you were practically begging me to fuck you."

This ticks me off further. My face was probably red as a cherry at this point. I stood from the bed, Mark copying my actions. "Leave." I say, my voice shaking with anger.

He crosses his arms over his chest, that stupid smirk still there. I wanted so badly to reach over and smack it off his stupid face. "No."

I shoot him a sour look. If looks could kill, he'd be six feet under by now. "Fine." I spit, turning on my heel and walking out the door.

"Oh, come on, babe. Where you goin?" he asks, and I can hear the smile in his voice. He puts a hand on my shoulder, stopping me in tracks. What the hell is his problem? Is this his idea of a joke? Rejecting me and now doing... this?

My hand clenches in a fist. For the first time, I wanted to hurt Mark. I wanted to cause him pain, both physical and emotional. It was a bit unsettling, honestly. Mark was the violent one, when you looked at past incidents.

I wrench away from his touch, turning to face him. He seemed to flinch for a moment, something flashing in his eyes, but I couldn't quite place it. He seemed to notice my anger, and it causes him to smirk even more. Without thinking, I raise my fist and punch him in the jaw.

He puts a hand to his face, eyes wide with shock. "You son of a bitch!" He spits, hand covering most of his mouth. But from what I can see, the corner of his mouth is lifted upwards a bit, and that makes my rage boil over. I lift my fist again. How could he be so.. so  _stupid_? He's practically asking for this. My breathing was heavy and ragged, I sounded more animal than human.

He lowers his hand, revealing that idiotic fucking  _grin_! What is his  _problem_? I can't tell if he's just incredibly thick, or actually insane.

I give him another punch, wanting to wipe that smile off his face. He cackles. "Is that all you've got?" he calls, and my mind goes blank with rage. I rush at him, shoving him into the wall. I could feel the strong, tense muscles and warm skin of his chest under my hands- stop, Sean! What the hell is wrong with you?

I hear a noise come from his mouth- a laugh. He's  _laughing_!

"That's right! More, more!" he says, laughing, eyes wild with insanity. What is he  _thinking_? Is he  _insane_? Yes, yes he is!

I have half a mind to get the hell out of that house and not look back, but the other part of me wants to beat the shit out of him. I smash my fist into his face, hitting him square in the nose, and it starts gushing blood down his face, adding to the crazed look. He stands there, grinning widely, blood all over his face, eyes gleaming with madness. And why is he still  _smiling_?

He stares at me, breathing calm and steady, contrasting with his crazed look. Part of me is intimidated, but the other is a fuming ball of uncontrollable rage. Why is he acting like this? What had I done?

 

 **Mark** -

What was I doing? What was  _he_  doing? I felt like I had no control over my actions, but at the same time, it felt like I really had planned this out, like I  _wanted_ this.

I grit my teeth, choking out the word "Stop." Sean looks at me, blue eyes wide, confused, scared. "M-Mark?"

Hands shaking, I step forward, wrapping my fingers around Sean's throat and pinning him to the wall. I don't want to do this... but I do!

His eyes widen even more, and his fingers claw at my hands. I want to say something, but it feels like I'm choking on my own words- it feels like I can't breathe. My grip tightens on his neck, and his eyes water. I hated every second of this, but at the same time, I loved it, and continued.

"M-Mark. Mark, stop!" he gasps. "I-I don't know what's g-going on, b-but you don't want this! This isn't what you want!"

Part of me listens to him. That part of me desperately tries to wrench my hands from his neck, but the other part wants this. The other part of me is happy- happy that he was dying. Then, I realized something-

I couldn't breathe. I was choking.

I stare at him, a black haze creeping into the edges of my field of vision. Desperately, his face turning blue, Sean lifts his knee and plants a sharp kick right in my soft spot, but it's not necessary. The lack of oxygen weakening me, I loose my hold on his neck and collapse to the floor, surrounded by darkness.


	13. Chapter 13- Bruises and Blood

**Sean** -

I stand there, watching as Mark's body falls to the floor. Almost instantly, I feel all the anger wash away from me, replaced with fear and regret. What had I  _done_? I kneel down next to Mark, checking his pulse, seeing if he's breathing. He has to be okay. He  _has_ to.

His pulse is slow, and that's not at all reassuring. His breathing was  _very_ shallow, chest barely rising. The blood had stopped flowing from his nose, and a bruise was beginning to form on his jaw.

One of my hands goes to my pocket where my phone was, the other just hovering above Mark's choice. What do I do? CPR? Call the ambulance? I had no idea, and panic was making it hard to think clearly, rationally. Then, another thought strikes me- if anyone finds out what actually happened, I could be arrested. But, even after what he did, I'd take jail any day over something bad happening to him. Nervous, I called the police.

The entire call, my voice is shaking, nearly as bad as my hands are. The operator's reassurances do nothing to ease my nerves. With the promise that they'd be here soon, I hang up. Staring at Mark, it suddenly hits me- I wouldn't be the one arrested-  _Mark_ would. No matter what story I spin, one of us will be in trouble with the law, and the bruises on his face and marks on my neck wouldn't help matters.

I swallow harshly, looking down at my hands. There's blood all over my fingers and palms, and it's starting to dry. My knuckles are bruised from the contact with Mark's jaw, the hideous purple marks an ugly contrast to the deep red crimson that stains my hands. I get up, looking around nervously before dashing to the bathroom.

Staring in the mirror, I examine my neck, the harsh red marks which would surely be bruising. It hurts to swallow. I scrub my hands with hot water and soap, hissing at the boiling temperature. Scrubbing the blood from the creases in my knuckles, I realized that we'd hurt each other. Actually hurt each other. Physically. Despite the scalding water, I shiver.

After I finish cleaning myself, I rub at the marks on my pale neck. "Would Mark really do this?" I ask the reflection in the mirror. I scurry out of the bathroom, contemplating my question. The Mark that I've always known is a bundle of joy and honesty, compassion, humility...things like that. He always seemed to understand when someone was having a hard time, and always wanted to help, however he could...so why not now?

I mean, that couldn't have been Mark, could it? He had originally seemed to come in with good intentions. It looked like he had been fighting with himself.

I quickly walk into the room where Mark is to find Chica by his side, giving small pathetic barks. When she sees me, she runs over, jumping on my chest, whining. My eyes widened when I saw Mark. He hadn't moved an inch.

He looked dead.


	14. Chapter 14- Don't Die Yet

**Sean** - 

My eyes widen at this, and I look down at Chica. I have to do something, and  _fast_. I dash over to Mark, my mind racing over what I can do. CPR seems like the best option at this point. I kneel down, opening Mark's mouth a small bit and biting my lip. "Don't die yet." I whisper.

Chica puts her face in front of mine, whining and licking Mark's face, as though trying to wake him up, but it's not doing anything but getting in the way. Chica barks again, right in Mark's face. I remember reading somewhere that dogs can sense death, and dying people...my heart rate picks up at this thought, the opposite of what Mark's is doing.

I put a hand to Mark's cheek, ignoring the sticky drying blood. I guess I was unconsciously expecting his skin to be warm, just like his personality, and yank it back when I touch skin that isn't cold, but definitely not what a living human's should feel like.

I take a shaky breath, pressing my palms to his chest, pushing down. I count until I get to ten, then connect our lips and try to give him some air. I repeat my movements, trying to ignore the tears in my eyes. This is my fault. It's my job to make it right.

When my efforts do nothing, I panic, going faster, hitting his chest almost violently. At the same time, I can't help but feel a bit repulsed when my lips touch his, after what he did. Next to me, Chica whines, and not thinking clearly, I smack his chest. "Come  _on_!"

Soon enough, I hear sirens outside, and I dash over to the door, throwing it open and calling to them. The paramedics push past me, and I shout at them that Mark is dying. It doesn't seem to make them move any quicker.


	15. Chapter 15- Chains

**Sean-**

They quickly load him onto the stretcher, tossing him, almost throwing him around, and I have to bite my tongue to stop myself from yelling at them to be careful. One of the paramedics walks up to me as they're loading him into the back of the ambulance and asks me what happened, eyes not on my face, but my neck.

"We, uh, we got into a fight." I say simply. "It escalated quickly." I look down at my hands, examining my knuckles and sighing. "This is all my fault." I whisper.

The paramedic smiles kindly. "We'll worry about it later. "

In a blur, they rush us to the hospital. I'm in the back with Mark, trying not to look at his still form. On the ride, they resuscitate him, his overt form jumping as arcs of electricity race through him. After three tries, his chest starts to rise and fall. Slowly, but it's moving. My stomach twists at the sight of a barely breathing Mark, but at the same time, some of the guilt lifts off my shoulders. I  _didn't_ kill him. He's alive. He probably hates me, but at least he would be alive to tell me so. He lies there, breathing slowly, and then gives out a very Mark-like groan. My heart races at this, and I perk up, just to try and see if he was actually okay. His face contorts and his eyes slowly open, snapping shut a moment later, and then he whispers something that only Mark would say after nearly dying- "Someone turn off the fucking light, would you? Tryin to blind a guy?"

I slowly move over to him, glancing at the paramedics. They all have their eyes trained on me, as if I would try to hurt Mark again. Which, hopefully, I wouldn't.

I touch his cheek gingerly, and he flinches away, or at least he tries to, but it's difficult with the straps binding him to the stretcher. At the restriction of movement his eyes fly open, wide enough that I can see the panic in them, and he starts to thrash around, struggling against the belts.

"M-Mark, Mark, calm down!" I whisper to him, and his eyes shift from the belts to me. His struggling calms down a small bit, but he still continues. "It'll all be okay..." I add, smiling calmly.

"They're here to help you."

He looks around, eyes finding the paramedics as if seeing them for the first time. They're standing now, about to step in. Mark looks back at me, his entire body trembling. Gone is the strong, comforting Mark I knew, replaced with this pathetic, trembling one. I don't have a clue what to do, so I just stand there. If I were to touch or try and soothe Mark by speaking to him, he'd most likely be afraid. I don't want to harm him further, but I know something has to be done. I slowly reach down, stroking Mark's hair gently. He flinches a bit, but then seems to still a bit, the shaking becoming less violent. I continue, swallowing harshly.

"I'm sorry...this is all my fault." I murmur.

He looks up at me, worry in his big brown eyes, and starts to say something, but then his lips close, followed by his eyes, and he relaxes completely, melting into the hand running through his hair.

I panic for a small moment, thinking he's passed out again, but calm down when I see that he's still breathing. I let out a small sigh, looking down.

"He's gonna be out for a while, we sedated him." the paramedic says, startling me. He's holding an empty syringe.

I blink and give a small nod, trying not to show the anger I feel at this.

When we arrive at the hospital, it's all a blur of doctors and nurses, questions and examinations. When they finally let me see Mark, they lead me to an empty padded room with a bed, two chairs, a desk, and a restrained Mark, drowsy with drugs but awake. I pull up a chair next to him, smiling wryly.

"Hey, Mark. How ya feelin?" I whisper.

"Shitty."

I laugh a small bit, but stop when I realize that he's glaring at me. "I'm really sorry." I say quietly.

"Don't apologize. Seriously." he snaps, and I can tell he doesn't want to talk about what happened. With the glare he's giving me, I'm a bit relieved he's restrained, but I don't tell him that.

I fall silent, and I stay silent for quite some time until he breaks it by asking "Could you pet my hair again?" He seems a bit embarrassed by his request, cheeks flushed red, but I nod.

"Yea, sure." I say, trying to hide a smile. I comb my fingers through his dark locks, and he sighs, eyes closed, a small smile gracing his lips.

It could've been the drugs, or my actions, but he falls asleep in record time, snoring softly. His breathing was slow and peaceful. I sigh, putting my feet up on the table, and that's when I notice the chains around his ankles. I only noticed the ones on his wrists. My temper flares. What the hell is he, some wild animal?

I have half a mind to go up to the nurses station and demand they unchain him, but my thoughts are ground to a halt when there's a knock on the door, I walk over and open it to find a doctor, who walks in and starts questioning me.


	16. Chapter 16- Zero Gravity

((Quick note-

 

Hi. Hello. Yes. I'm not dead, I'm just a shit person. I'm so sorry I haven't updated in, like, forever and a half. Hopefully, this crap chapter makes up for it, yeet. 

 

Try to enjoy, I guess?

 

From, actual trash.))

 

 **Mark** -

I open my eyes, looking around at the dark abyss surrounding me. I blink, and slowly realize what was happening. I'm not standing on anything, I'm... floating. Zero gravity, like I'm in space or something.

I try to move, but I can't, and I hear the clinking of metal. I look to my wrists and find that there are cuffs on my hands connected to chains, which seemingly fed into the dark nothingness that surrounded me. There were small wisps of black coming out of them, as if they were made of shadows. The same chains and cuffs were on my ankles. I struggle, but then discover that with every movement, the chains only tighten and pull more harshly. I decide to lay still for a moment, taking deep breaths.

I force myself to relax. Am I high? No, I don't do drugs... Finally, I see a head of green hair in the corner of my eye and I smile. Finally, someone here to make sense of whatever the hell is going on here.

But, something seems off. He completely passes me, not even bothering to notice me. I call out to him, but my voice is lost in the eternal abyss. A scene then appears, and I recognize it as his room. He sits down on his bed, and gets under the covers. By this point, I'm utterly bewildered and confused. What is happening?

I watch as Sean tosses and turns, and I can see him- I can see through the covers, this must be an acid trip or something. I can see him clawing at his scars, and I can see torment on his face. Suddenly, he looks at the door, ducking under the covers.

I swallow, waiting for something to happen. After a few moments he peeks his head out, talking to someone. I furrow my brow.  _Is this a memory? What the fuck is happening?_ I ask myself, but pay attention to the scene unfolding before me.

Sean shakes his head, and I see the door open, and in walks- no. No, that can't be right. I'm in his room, but that's not possible. I'm here. I watch as I sit on the bed, and the conversation turns heated quickly. I cringe as I watch myself get touchy with Sean, he obviously doesn't want it. He's getting angry, and I can see fear on his face,too. I strain against my bonds. I need to get there, to stop him- to stop me from hurting Sean, from doing something horrible.

We both stand up, and I notice Sean's face contort into one of anger. There seems to be some sort of- aura around him? It's dark gray and reminded me of mist. It's swirling around his head at first, then his fists. It then turns a toxic green, and I wince when he throws a punch at me. I- Me- Past Me just laughs, and I hear, "Is that all you got?!". Is it possible to be disgusted with yourself? The answer is yes- and I nearly screamed at myself. "IDIOT!" I yell, but yet again, the noise evaporates.

I watch as Sean deals another blow and throws me against the wall, and I'm just standing there, laughing as blood pours down my face. And then- I grab Sean by the throat, lifting him up slightly. I watch as he struggles, and me, real me, thrashes against my chains. I need to help him! "STOP! YOU'RE HURTING HIM! GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HIM! PLEASE!!" I scream, but it's useless, and I can feel the tears in my eyes as Sean gasps for breath.

All of a sudden, as Sean begged for his life, he then went limp. I drop his lifeless body to the floor, turning on my heel and walking out of the room. By this point I'm screaming and sobbing, thrashing out and trying to reach Sean. Did this actually happen? Did I kill him? Was I in hell, and this was my punishment? All of a sudden, the chains snapped, causing me to fall to the floor with a grunt.

I stand up and rush over to the room, grabbing Sean. "Sean! Sean, answer me. C'mon!"

Sean opens his eyes, but they aren't normal. They flicker black for a second, before revealing themselves. The white of his left eye is a sickening black, his iris a deep, dark, abyss of blue. The white of his left eye was a neon green, the iris the same color as the other. An ooze the same color was dripping out of the eye, streaking down his face. It was Anti.

" **Ÿ̲̜̭̣̙́O̞̪̣̗̜̠̬͋͊̈́̑̔ͤ̇͑ͨU͈̰͚ͨ̾͐ͦͦ̈͂ ̘̭̺̪̓ͨ̀ͯ͒ͨD͓̻̟͚̥͙̎ͧ̿̆ͥÏ̦͇͈̲̓͒͑ͨ͋̉͗ͨD̗̝̲̏̏̐͛ͮ ̹̭͈̞̗̟̮̼ͯ͊͒ͧ̿Ť͎̺ͬ͗H̲͉̻͈͎͉̝̫̅̽̄̋ͭI̱̬̟̥͊ͧ̓̄S̺̯̹͑̿ͭͮ̐̅ͤ̇ͫ!̳̥̄ͣͭ͋ͭ̄̍̚ ͕̬̹͇͇̻̰͚͍͑̉̎͛͒͗̀̿Ỵ̳̘̦̪̤͈ͩͧ̔̿ͅO̭̼̗̘̲̟̬̪̅U͔̲͇̭̍ͫ͗ ̭̞̭͕ͣ͋̈̓ͅC͎̘̞̳͙̬͉̓̆̀̃̇O̩̹̻̞͚̮̝ͭ͆̏̽̀ͅU̞̪͓̙̤͚͉ͧ͊̎ͫ́̉L̳͚̤̙̱͍̳̠̒ͯͪ̒̇D̙̬̼̙͉̹͙̱̅̑ͫ̂̈ͅ ͇͈̰̹̭͒H͓̯̉͊ͮA̱͓̲̤̿V̹̩̲͎̫̲̘ͬ͋͌ͮͦ̐̏͛ͭE̹̤̲̺̹̞͇ͧ̾̍ ͉̗͔̮͍̈́̔ͪͥ̓ͬD̳̈͑̈O̳̜̓͗͋̔N̪͍̝̭̺̺̻̤̓̂̆̈́͌̈̃̚E̫̥̮̳͈̹̩̼ͥ͊ͩͣ̃̊ ̣͕͈͓̬̍̾ͥ́͑̇̽ͧS̲̈́̉ͨ̉͛̒̾O͉̗ͥͥ͐̆̅́Ṃ͎̞̱̹̦̼̔E̥̜͍̐͂͆ͮͣT̲̭͋ͫ͂̈́̍̋͒H̦͈̜̬̲̺̖̥͂͋̓̍ͅİ̩̥̰Ṇ͎͙̃̂ͅG̹̹͐͌̃͋̓͗ͤ,̦͚͗̒͆ͨ ̘̩̪͕̯͉̟̽ͮͤ͋͒B̮̤͎͉͌͌͆́Ű͚̹̖̣͇̲T̤͉̹̞̠̱ͫ̂̏͂̒̔̋ ̯͔̫͎̫̻̓ͅY̥̲̲͋ͯ̾ͫ̂̄O͔̬̹̩̲͙̱̿ͭ̽ͨ͋ͧU̞̭̦̠̝ͬͭͅ ̜̩̖͎̪͔̞̗͌̑̓ͧ̊̔J̥̪̣̜̳̺̋̐͛̌U̮͚̤ͤ̾̎̒̇̉̂̍S̪͕̩̫̻͆͐T̞̗͎̱̮̺ͮ̈͋ͨ ͎͈̼̗̲͈͛̔w̩͇ͧ͂̇͛ͨͣA͎͓̞̣̱̬ͮ͋ͮ̔͂T̤̣̦̫̬͖̙̟̽̐͆̀̌̔ͬc̼̰̻̮͚͖̯̦ͯ̇H̲̗͗ė͐͆̒̔ͮͅD̜̩̖̈́̃!̥̠̌ͅͅ** " He cried out.

I jump back, startled. "No, no no no, this isn't happening." I say, my back hitting the wall.

He stands, the sickening purple finger marks on his neck seeming to become more visible. He began to cackle, his voice glitching and cracking. I watch in horror as he nears me, his insane grin becoming bigger by the second. All of a sudden, it feels like I'm choking. I start to panic, but I'm restrained to some sort of sick operating table. I thrash and scream, and then it fills up with water, and I'm drowning, and the world fades to black, and I can see my life flashing before my eyes, and then-

I wake up.


	17. Chapter 17- Reality

((Here, have another!

 

God, I'm so sorry, this probably sucks.))

 

 **Sean** -

My eyes fly wide open when I hear Mark's scream split the silence. "NO!NO NO no no no no!" he cries, tears streaking down his face, frantically struggling against the chains that hold him down.

My eyes widen and I instantly dash over, trying to calm him as much as possible.   
"Mark, Mark, Mark!" I whisper. "Calm down, please! Everything's okay!"

He looks at me, eyes wide and terrified. "No no no no I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry." he mumbles over and over.

I blink.  
"M-Mark, what's wrong?" I ask him softly, slowly reaching out to cup his cheek. He flinches.   
"I- I- Y-You're okay..." he mumbles, looking at me. He seems shocked- he was sweating profusely, and breathing heavily.

"Y-yea, I'm fine." he stares at me. "I-I almost killed you, and then Anti came and almost killed m-me..."

I chuckle a small bit in disbelief, patting his head.   
"It was just a dream, Markimoo." I say, using his nickname to try and calm him down.

He looks up at me, eyes wide. "B-but it seemed so real..." he whispers, trying to reach up and touch my face, but the chains prevent him from doing so

I let out a soft sigh.  
"Maybe... maybe we could get those chains off?" I suggested, and he nodded eagerly.   
"P-Please."

I walk out the door and state my request.

"Er, I don't know... he's a danger." The nurse stationed says in a nasally voice.

I glare. "What do you mean, a  _danger_?!" I snap, furrowing my brow when she didn't answer me.

"I mean he almost strangled you!" she snaps. "We got a full confession from him."

I open my mouth, but clamp it shut with a frustrated huff.   
"Well, can you  _at least_ tell me when I can take him home?!"

"No. It's classified. But I  _suppose_ I can unchain him." she sighed and walked in, unlocking the shackles to Mark's shocked wide eyes.

I let out a frustrated huff.   
"It's classified." I mumbled mockingly under my breath.

Mark stands, looking unsure of himself.

I look up at him, giving him a small smile.

He walks towards me but stops, seeming to be scared of himself.

I walk towards him at that, taking just a few steps not to scare him away, as if he was a wild animal.

He stares at me, eyes wide.

I then took a few more steps.  
"It's okay." I whisper, looking up at him kindly.

He stares at me, then suddenly strides toward me, closing the gap between us and pushing me against the wall, kissing me roughly, I can taste his salty tears. "You're okay." he whispers against my lips in between kisses. "You're alive." Almost as though he's trying to reassure himself. He brings my hands above my head-and then he's gone, and I see two men holding a struggling Mark five feet away from me. "NO NO no PLEASE! Fuck! Let me  _go_!" He screams, thrashing against their hold, straining towards me, fresh tears spilling down his face. And then one of the men reach into their pocket. I scream "No!" but as the words leave my lips, he tasers Mark, and I watch in agony as Mark's body jerks and shudders violently from the shocks before collapsing limp to the ground.

My hands cover my mouth, and tears threaten to spill down my face. I hold them back. I  _wouldn't_ cry in front of these... these  _monsters_.. I wouldn't. I try to go over to Mark, choking back my sobs and causing my throat to hurt just within a few seconds.

The men step back. "He could've hurt you. He was being aggressive."

I shot glares of death at the men.   
"He wasn't being  _aggressive_!" I snapped. I knelt down next to Mark. "He had a nightmare, and he just wanted to know if I was real." I murmured.

A while later, Mark groans, and I take his hand. "S-shit. What happened?"

I slowly rub his knuckles, humming a small bit.   
"Nothing." I mumble.

I sit down next to him on the padded floor, trying to stay calm for Mark's sake. I feel like even the slightest bit of anger could set him off, and then he'll never get out of here. Groaning, he sits up a bit and moves over, laying his head in my lap. "C-can you do that thing again?" he whispers.

I nod with a smile, petting his hair again.

"T-thanks."

"Don't mention it." I whisper.

I continue this action for a short while, running my fingers through his soft, ebony locks. I look around at the workers around us, watching them intently.

After a while, his eyes close, and I think he's sleeping, when he whispers "They think I'm crazy."

I sigh. "Mark, no, they don-"

"Don't bullshit me, Sean. I'm in a padded room, watched by people nonstop, and there are cameras in every corner. I noticed them while I was waiting for you to come see me. After an hour I figured you'd forgotten me."

I ignore the pang of guilt that runs through me at the jab, knowing it was no use to defend myself, to explain that it wasn't my choice how long they'd kept him here, and let it slide. I looked around the room, and indeed, as he had said, there were cameras in every corner. I was about to give them all 'the finger', when Mark interrupted me.  
"I'm.. I'm not crazy.. am I?" He looked up at me with those big, innocent, lovable brown eyes.

"No. You're not. Really." I say, but I feel like I'm both lying and trying to convince the both of us at the same time.

Mark saw right through me.   
"Sean." He whispered. "Be honest."

"Mark, please. D-don't make me..." I trail off. I can't say this. I can't do this.

Mark sniffled a small bit. That action  _alone_ hit me like a truck. I hug him close, but he just... lays there. Like dead weight. It kinda scared me.   
 

"Mark. Are you okay?"  
"Yea" he replies in a dead, listless tone.

I blink back tears, covering my face.   
"This is all my fault." I whimper, my voice breaking.

He sighs, closing his eyes. "Whatever, Jack."   
He only calls me Jack when he's not happy with me.

I hug my knees to my chest, sighing heavily.   
"I'm gonna go." I mutter, not waiting for a response as I stood, walking off.

"Yea, fine. Go, leave me. While you're out there, tell them to chain me back up!" he calls after me.

This only made me walk faster, squeezing my eyes shut. I storm out of the hospital, not speaking to anybody and bumping into nearly everybody. Everything hurts, everything aches. I thought about what I was going to do.  
  
Get drunk? Possibly.   
Cut? Possibly.   
Cry? Definitely.

Sighing, I make a beeline toward the nearest bar. Then, maybe I'd cut. Mark- he wouldn't be there to stop me. I smile at the thought, feeling the smallest bit sick with myself.


	18. Chapter 18- Not Coming Back

**Mark** -

I sit there where he left me.   
Five minutes pass.  
Ten.  
20.  
40.  
I mean, it feels that long. after a while, I lose track of the seconds, as there's no clock in the damn room. That's when I realise- he's not coming back.

I sigh to myself, rubbing my eyes.   
"What have I done?" I ask myself quietly. Suddenly, the door to my room is gently knocked on. I look up, and see a woman in blue scrubs standing there.   
"Mark Fischbach?" She asks.

"No, Benedict Cumberbatch." I reply in my most sarcastic voice, staying in my seated position.

She let out a small chuckle, and I could easily tell it was forced. I rest my elbow on my leg, and my chin on my palm.   
"Well, Mr. Cumberbatch, I'm going to be your nurse slash counselor." She said, walking over to me with a clipboard tucked under her arm.   
  
When she got closer, I noticed some of her features. Crystal blue eyes, dark brown hair tied up in a low ponytail going down her back. She smiled towards me, and I noticed the corners of her eyes crinkled when she did, as well as small dimples near her mouth.

"I don't need a counselor." I snap.

"Well, considering the fact that you nearly strangled someone you were getting along with fine earlier says that  _maybe_ you do." The woman replied sarcastically. I exhaled sharply at this.

"Well, considering the fact that you don't know me,  _maybe_ you should fuck off!" I yell, getting to my feet.

She looked at me calmly, waving off the workers that had gathered by the door.   
"Well  _maybe_ if you could tell me some things about yourself, we can get through this, you won't be stuck in here any longer then you have to be."

"What do you need to know? I'm Mark. I'm a Youtuber. I'm 27- you know, you could find all this on wikipedia, you're wasting time asking me"

"I like to hear it straight from the person. It gets personal, you know? Builds up trust." She said, sitting down on the chair that Jack sat on. "Just... start from the beginning, I suppose."

"So, my mother met my father, they married, and fucked, nine months later, I came out of her womb." I say, smirking. She said to start from the beginning.

This woman laughed a small bit.   
"That is how it starts." She murmured, then scribbled something down on her clipboard. She looked back up at me. "Anything about them that was...unique? Unusual?"

"N-no, of course not! They are- they w-were wonderful people." I say, quieting a bit.

"No, not like that." She smiled a bit at me. "Were any of your parents absent from your life for a period of time? Military? Moving from place to place constantly?" She asked.

"Um, t-they divorced. Then, umm... my dad, he died. Cancer , I was in high school."

She gave me a look of sympathy, nodding slowly as she scribbled more things down, clicking her pen for a moment afterwards.  
"Did you have any siblings?" She questioned.

"Brother. Tom."

She nodded again.  
"Umm... tell me about... YouTube?"

I walk over and sit on the floor, back against the wall. "Can I ask a few questions? " And without waiting for an answer, I do. "Can I call my boyfriend? And what's the first thing you wrote down? I know you didn't write that my parents fucked, only an idiot wouldn't know that."

She laughed, her voice sounding like chimes.   
"I wrote that you had a sense of humor." She mused. "And take my phone." She handed me a phone with a rubbery, magenta case.

"T-thank you." I reach for it and dial Sean's number.

After a few moments, Sean picked up. There were people in the background, chattering away. I wondered where he was.   
"Y-Ye." he was interrupted by a burp. "Yeah?

I frowned. "Sean, where are you? "

"None of your - _uurp_  -business..." he slurred out, interrupted by a belch.

"What do you mean, none of my- Are you drinking?" I snapped.

Was he serious? I'm stuck here, and he's getting drunk?

"Sean, I swear to god, if you're drunk- did you drive there?"

"I walked... I-It's no big deal." He mumbled. He paused for a moment, most likely to take another drink. "You need to ch-  _uurp-_  chill out, Mark..."

"Chill out?  _Chill out?_  Sean, this is stupid, even for you! I'm-I'm worried, babe. I don't think this is a good idea."

"Who're  _you_ callin' babe?" He asked, and I could hear some static over the phone.

"Y-you." I said, voice shaking slightly.

"Oh, f-fuck  _OFF_." He slurred out. "Didja actually think that we were  _TOGETHER?_ " My nurse/counselor stood at this, seeing my look of panic.

"W-what? S-Sean, what are you talking about? "I can feel a knot in my throat, making it almost impossible to swallow.

She furrowed her brow.   
"Mark?"  
"St-Stahp foolin' yourself, Maerk." Sean mumbled.

I nodded. "I-I'm fine."  
  
"Sean? What d-do you mean?" I asked voice weak. "S-Sean, you don't know what you're saying, y-you're drunk, Sean." I said, trying to reassure myself. This was just a drunk's ramble, nothing else. It had to be.

"I'm s-serious, Mark." Sean muttered, and I heard a glass being set down in the background. "I'm gonna go 'ome."   
She shook her head, walking over to me and trying to take the phone.

I raise a finger. "Please, just one more minute."  
  
"N-no, call a cab, please. I don't want you to get hurt, babe."

"I could take him to your house, if you'd want." she said to me.  
  
"I'll-  _hic_  -be fine..." Sean hung up at that.

I nod, staring at the phone before handing it back. "P-please."

I feel like my lungs are closing up. I can't breathe. There's not enough air in the room.

"Don't worry. He'll be fine with me." She flashed a reassuring smile at me, but that didn't ease the heavy feeling in my chest. I began to breathe a bit quicker, trying to take deeper breaths, but failing.

I could feel a full blown panic attack coming on. Legs feeling like jelly, I sink to the padded floor, focusing on my breathing.

The nurse hasn't even taken one step before she's instantly at my side, using different methods to try and help me calm down. I catch a glimpse of a nametag on her shirt- Janet S.

"T-this is my fault." I gasp. "If I wasn't a jerk, he wouldn't have left, he was just trying to help, he-he hurts himself..."

"It's okay, it's okay. How about I bring him here, and we'll keep an eye on him. Would you like that?" Janet whispered.

I nod quickly, I can feel my chest loosen a bit, the pressure easing slightly. I focus my brown eyes on her blue ones. Blue eyes. Sean's eyes.

She nodded slowly, rubbing my shoulders.  
"It'll all be okay. You'll be able to see him again." She cooed gently, trying to calm me as if I was a child. Surprisingly, instead of feeling insulted, this helps. I focus on her words. "O-okay."

She smiled kindly again.  
"There. Now, I'm going to try and find Sean. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"Um...Johnny's bar, maybe, not too far, he wanted us to go there together, but I-I can't drink, so..." She nods and stands up, walking to the door. "W-wait. Janet. Y-you don't think I'm crazy, do you?"

She turned to me.  
"Maybe a little bit." she said jokingly. "But clinically? Not just yet." She winked at me before walking off.

I smile slightly, closing my eyes. At the same time though, something about her words eggs at me... not just yet. Yea, she was joking, but there's something ominous about it all the same. Those words repeating over and over in my head, I sink into a restless sleep.


	19. Chapter 19- Deserve It

**Sean** -

When I awoke the next morning, everything ached. I was stiff, as I had slept in a fetal position on the hard mattress that was beneath me. I looked around, seeing the blindingly white padded floors and walls. Realization hit me like a truck.   
  
I was in the hospital.   
  
I tried to remember everything that happened last night- everything was a blur. The only thing that was clear to me, was sitting on the floor with Mark and just... talking. I can't remember. I went to the door, grabbing the handle and trying to turn it. It was locked.

A voice comes over the intercom. "How are you feeling, Mr. McLoughlin? Would you like some breakfast?" The thought of any food makes my stomach twist, and I say "N-no, I'm good, thanks."

I look up, soon spotting the speaker. I stare at it curiously, before looking out of the small window of the door.   
"Ah... where am I?" I ask.

"You're in the hospital, sir. You drank a bit too much, and your boyfriend was very concerned, so we brought you here to stay for the night. Just a precaution." The clear, female voice responds.

"O-Oh." I look down at that, sighing. The word boyfriend shoots a pang of regret through me. "Thank you... may I see him?" I ask, looking back up at the speaker as if it was a real person.

"Of course." I hear the door unlock, and the voice says "Two doors to your left." I walk out, and I can instantly tell which room is Mark's, even without her directions, due to the two sleeping guards flanking the entrance.

I silently creep over to the door, careful not to wake them. I scowl to them, trying to open the door. It was locked. I exhale sharply. I look around, biting my lip.

One of the guards snorts and looks at me. "Oh.. you.. we were told... wait for you..." he mumbles, standing up and unlocking the door.

I stand back, watching him unlock it. When he finally gets it unlocked, I run inside and shut the door. I see a sleeping Mark on the floor, and smile a small bit to myself.

I walk towards him silently, trying not to disturb him. He rolls over, giving a small grunt. Sighing, a take a seat next to him. Guess this is gonna be routine.

I sigh, twirling a small strand of his hair in my fingers. I stare at the movement of the deep black locks, before to my surprise, Mark rolled back onto his side, facing me. His arms find my waist, and instantly latch around it, nearly bringing me down to the floor in the process.

"Morning." he whispers in a hoarse, just-woke-up voice. His brown eyes, though he just woke up, are alert and intelligent, staring at me as though trying to solve a confusing puzzle.

I stare back, blinking before laying down next to him.  
"Morning." I say quietly, trying to ignore the constant pounding that rung in my head.

"What happened last night?" he whispers, instantly down to business, eyes refusing to release me from their stare.

"I... I don't know." I murmur. I have an intense wanting to look away, but I don't. I'm just trapped in his stare, his deep, coffee-colored eyes searching mine for answers.

He shakes his head and releases me, to my gratitude.

I sit up, my mind trying to uncover what had happened. I rub my temples, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to think.

"Don't push yourself, you already look like shit." Mark says.

"Gee, thanks." I huff at him, crossing my arms.   
"What happened, anyway?" I ask quietly. "Did I get drunk?"

He nods, matter of factly. "Shitfaced."

I groan, massaging my temples.   
"Everything huuuuuuuuurtts.." I whimper.

"Good." he smirks. "You deserve it, asshole."

I look at him, shocked for a moment. Did he just-  
"What the hell? What did I do last night that made you so pissed?" I snap, scowling at him.

"You said some stuff, that's what you did. Does 'stop fooling yourself,' and 'fuck off, did you actually think we were together' ring a bell?" he says, brown eyes cold.

My mind was still blank.  
"I... n-no?" I whisper questioningly. "I... I remember  _some_  things... but not that."

He glares at me and stands up, grabbing my arm and pulling me up with him, not all that gently. "What were you  _thinking_? How could you have been so  _stupid_? I almost had a panic attack because of you! Oh, yea, you have Janet to thank for bringing your sorry ass here. I mean, you could have been killed, Jack! I'm glad that you didn't drive, but walk home!? Why not a taxi, or a bus or something! You could've been mugged, or-or raped, or- or.. any number of shit could've happened to you, a-and you don't seem to care!" he says, jabbing his index finger into my chest, and then he's not, the two guards holding a struggling, slightly red faced Mark a few feet away from me. "Get out." he says.

I don't even think twice before I scramble out of the room, Mark's words echoing in my mind. I should have said something back. I should have argued with him that I  _did_ care, but... I didn't. I just walked into my room, slammed the door shut, and just face planted on the bed. I subconsciously found my hand clawing harshly at my wrist. Mark wouldn't like that, but I guess I didn't care.

A woman walks in a while later, a nametag claiming her as Janet. "Hey, Sean. I just spoke to Mark. You wanna talk about what happened back there? He seems pretty upset."

"I don't want to." I mumble, changing my position from just laying down, to fetal position. "It's not like I would  _care_ , apparently."

She sighs. "I know you don't mean that, Sean."

"I don't!" I yell, sitting up violently. I hadn't even noticed that I was crying until now. I wipe my eyes, sniffling.

She reaches over and grabs a nearby tissue box, handing it to me. "Relax, it's okay."

She sighs. "You know you don't have to stay here, right, Sean? You can leave whenever you like."

I take the tissue box, wiping my tears for a moment and sighing.  
"I.. I want to be there for Mark... I really do." I whisper to her, as if Mark could somehow hear me. "But... if he doesn't want me here, I'll go."

"Well, how about you go see him? He's calmed down some, I'm sure." I nod and hesitantly get up, walking to his room. I enter to see Mark sitting at the desk. His left wrist is in chains, and in his free right hand, he holds a red crayon. Several other colors lay on the table, as well as a few pieces of blank paper. The sight of seeing a grown man using crayons is slightly off putting. Mark looks up, obviously hearing the door open, and gives me a crooked smile. "They don't trust me with pens and pencils."

I freeze, intimidated by his stare. Janet gives me a gentle push inside, but I just stop and... stare. I just stare. Janet clears her throat.  
"Gentlemen. Now that we have you both in the same room, how about we talk?" She suggests, and I give a small nod.

Mark gives a loud, lofty sigh, slowly putting down his crayon and lifting his head as if it takes a huge amount of effort. "If I  _must_."

Janet smiles wryly at him, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to him. I do as well, staring at my hands.

Mark stares intently at me for several minutes, silent. Then, suddenly- "Your wrist is red."

I stiffen, immediately moving my other hand over the red marks. Janet raises and eyebrow.   
"Jack?"

Mark raises an eyebrow, tilting his chair back on it's legs. He's trying to be casual, make me uncomfortable, I can tell, but there's still anger in his eyes that he can't conceal. "Yes,  _Jack_ , tell her."

Janet gives him a small glare.  
"How about  _you_  be polite?" She asks calmly, using the same tone as he. I look down, avoiding both of their stares. I feel like I could break down then and there, I could already feel my throat becoming raw. I quietly say, "I'm depressed." Janet furrows her brow.

Mark lets out a huff, obviously put off by her comment. I guess he expected her to side with him. "And stupid. You forgot stupid." he says, smirking coldly.

Janet smacks his arm, frowning.   
"Mark!" She sounded like a mother scolding her child.   
"At least I'm not an asshole." I mumble, exhaling sharply.

"Really? You wanna call  _me_ an asshole? Say it again!"Mark says,standing up, or at least, he tries to, but he's evidently forgotten the small problem of the chain on his arm. He's yanked back into his chair, and settles for giving me a look of purest loathing. Instead of being angered by his restraints, I'm now grateful for them.

"Fine,  _assho-_ " I'm interrupted by Janet pushing me gently out of the room.  
"Jack, go back to your room." She said calmly, but I could practically  _feel_  the anger lacing her tone.

Muttering under my breath, I storm back into my room. I hope Mark gets it, the asshole. I'm here, wasting my time, and he acts this way? Screw him. He can rot here, I don't give a fuck. He's crazy.

Yet when I feel the fury radiating off Janet, for a moment I almost feel bad for Mark. But just for a moment, then it's gone, replaced by hatred. I open the door to my room, closing it and locking it. I walk over to my bed, or, the hospital bed. I sit down, gripping the sheets angrily. Then, I black out.

***********************************

**Thoughts so far?**


	20. Chapter 20- Victory

**Janet-**

 

I sigh to myself, taking a hair tie from my wrist and tying my hair up. I turn on my heel, facing Mark. I flash a small smile at him.

"Mark."

"Janet." he says in the same tone, but without the smile.

I let out another sigh, going over to the bed provided by the hospital. I sit down, looking at him.  
"Can you tell me something, Mark?" I ask.

"Of course, Janet." he says in a friendly, genial tone, a smile on his face that doesn't reach his eyes.

"What's your relationship with Jack? How can you go from cuddling and comforting each other, to verbally and physically assaulting each other?!" I snap, losing my temper for a small moment.

His eyes widen, obviously taken aback by my tone and words, but he quickly recovers his composure, putting on a slightly bored, slightly amused, all around unconcerned expression. "He's-he was my boyfriend, which was obviously a mistake. And because he's an asshole, I'm pretty sure I made that clear." he drawls.

I pinch the bridge of my nose.  
"Okay? Now, I looked at a few of your YouTube videos, and saw that you and Jack have been friends for quite some time. He doesn't seem like the type of person to act like that, and neither do you." I point out, furrowing my brow. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Because it's about time he gets what's his." he says bitterly, finally exposing his true feelings, for a brief moment. "As for Se-Jack, I suppose he's just showing his true colors." he shrugs, unconcerned, but then mumbles under his breath something that sounds like "he deserves it."

I lean back, putting a concerned expression on.  
"This is... odd." I mumble, staring Mark down. I make some mental notes, then smirk. "Thank you for showing yours as well." I reply sarcastically. His first impression was much different from this, and he's confused. I can tell.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" he snaps, glaring at me, dropping the give-no-fucks act.  
I snort a small bit. I don't  _want_ to be antagonistic, but I guess he deserves a taste of his own medicine. 

"Well, this  _obviously_ isn't like you, and I guess these are just repressed emotions." I pick up my clipboard, scribbling down what I had said.

"Repressed emotions..." he mutters, wrinkling his nose. "Repressed emotions, my ass.." And then, in a louder voice-

"You don't know me, you don't know what I'm like. Maybe on YouTube it's all just an act." he says, trying to get me angry.   
I sigh, unconcernedly. "You tried that tactic first time we met, Mark, try something else." I say in a bored tone, and he wrinkled his nose more, taken aback.

I smirk internally.  
"Well, I suppose if I'm not really going to get anything about you, I'll just go to  _Sean_." I enunciate Sean's name, dragging it out. I back up a small bit, seeing him pull at the chain around his wrist

He quickly recomposes himself. "G-go then, see if I care." he mutters, and his voice turns intensely bitter at this next statement. "You might as well tell him to leave and drink again, it's what he does best. Leave when you need him." he spits, and I have a feeling there's more to his words than he's saying.

I raise my eyebrows, leaning on the door frame.   
"Oh, really? Last I checked, you did a  _whole series_  about getting drunk." I retort, causing his face to redden. In either embarrassment or anger, but I'm not sure.

"And, what do you mean, 'when you need him'?" I ask, cocking an eyebrow.

"S-so what if I did? I-I can't drink now, anyway." he spits, and looks at my ear, not meeting my eyes. "I mean that he goes and gets drunk while I'm stuck in a mental hospital! But when he needed me, I was there, even though he was fucking unconscious!" he says, and I have a feeling that's the root of some of our issues here. Quickly, his face hardens and he gives me that cocky smirk.

I scribble most of what he said down, nodding slowly.   
"Maybe you did something to aggravate him?" I suggest, and his face reddens even more. "And besides. He has depression. It may be hard to focus on other people when you're destroying yourself from the inside."

"He's too busy hurting himself and feeling sorry for himself, and he won't let me help.That's what got me mad in the first place! He was blaming himself for me being here, and when I got mad, he went and got hammered." he says, jerking against the chain. Involuntarily, I flinch, moving back slightly, and he notices, giving me a nasty smirk. "You're scared of me. You think I'm crazy."

"You aren't crazy. You're tired." I say, and instantly his face gains a confused look.   
"What?" He asks, dropping his mask for a moment.   
"Maybe Jack doesn't want you to feel bad. Maybe he's afraid that he'll hurt you, and he doesn't know that he is. You're sick and tired of it, I get it. But you have to tell him that you're there for him." I explain. " _But_ , seeing that your relationship is in shreds..." I trail off.

He scowls, instantly defensive, exactly the reaction I'd hoped for. He's falling for the bait. "Who said it's in shreds? You don't know anything!" he snaps, and I give him a confused, innocent look. "Why do you care, Mark? If you really hate him, then you shouldn't care that I said that. I mean, it  _is_ true." I say softly.

He opens his mouth to respond, but pauses to think. "I'll leave you to think about it." I say, walking to the door and grabbing the handle.  _Victory_. I think, smiling to myself.


	21. Chapter 21- No Chance

I scowl to myself, digging my nails into my palms.   
"Bitch!" I yell, but it isn't likely she'll hear me. I pace in the darkness, closing my eyes tightly as I try to think. I then hear a light cackle behind me. I turn to see him standing there.

"Well, you failed. Miserably." he says, walking up to me.  
"That was not how I planned it! If that nosy bitch hadn't put her face where it doesn't belong, this wouldn't have happened!" I snap.

He giggles a small bit, pissing me off even further.   
"It's not  _my_ fault our Markimoo here is so sensitive." He purrs, smirking. "Don't worry. I suppose  _I_  will have to carry everything."

"Puh-lease. If I couldn't do it, you have no chance." I sneer, and I see his expression harden, eyes narrow.  
"And what are you trying to say? That it's  _my_  fault that Mark is a little bitch baby?"

"I'm not saying  _that,_ idiot... I'm just saying, that if  _I_  can't influence him, I don't see how you can." he purrs.

I glower at him. "I swear, call me an idiot one more time, and I'll-"

"You'll  _WHAT_?" He responds, smirking at me challengingly.

I feel my nails digging into my palms, but for some reason I'm suddenly feeling intimidated. "I'll...I'll do something."

He snorted a bit.   
" **W̸̛̛͙͕̗̘͓̱̜̪̫͓͇͂́͋̎̌̈̃̆̋͋͐͘͝ḩ̵̣͓͎͚͓͔̊͌͆͌͌̇̈́Ą̷̖̪̹̹͎͋̈́̿̐̾͛̍͝ṭ̵́̏̀̇̑̇͝?̷̨͓̉̓͆̒͂̓̂̀̕̕͝͝͝!̶̘̳͈̠̰͑̃̚ ̸̗͖̖͎̻͕̺̮͖̣̓̔̑͊̅̅͊̄̒̃̔͝͝͠W̵̧̖̫̲̭͍̯͕̬̯̰̫̉͆̌̇̂͒̓̋̈́͐̀̾͒͘H̵̬̗̲͍͇̬͔̤̝̫̱͛̈́̅͝͝a̸͖̯̠̿̾͌͌̇̌͜͝Ţ̴̟̦̖̼̠̗͈̠̤̯̦̌̈́̓̀͑̆̾̔̀͌̆̓͗ ̵̮̺͔͈̰̭͙̫͓̠̘̤̬̏̈́͜C̵̲̩̥̩̠̥̞͓̖̩̠̏̋̄͘͜͝ą̷̭̳̺̗̱̮͈̂̔͊̔̈̋̎̋̈́͜͝͠ͅŅ̵̢͖̹͖̙͔̘͓̼̘͎̀̌̊͗̋͌̔͜ͅ ̴̛̥͖̯͊̉̎̀̓̊̆̈́̓y̷͉̻͓͇͕͕̲̪̲̻̅̅̐͒͛̆̊̂̄͝ơ̷̜͎̼͎͍̓͌̉͋̇́̒̓͐̑̄Ư̶̧͈̝̙͖͉̭̾͌̇͆͊̚ ̶̡̨̯͈̠̻̣̹̫̣̓*̸̢̯̦͙̦̱͈̀̍̋́̃̿͘͠P̶̛̛̼̖͛͐̌͆͛̾͆̀́̆̏͠͝Ơ̷̜̮̫̯̳̘͚͋̋͒́͐̇͒͂͛͐Ṡ̶̜̰̱̗̲͙̜̘͑̉͌͘̕̚͠ͅS̸̢̯͇̹̫̦̜͚̫͓͈̈́͗́̋̍͋͊̓͗͗̃͐̔̊͝I̴͈̝͖̺͚̪̗̯̤̭̯̼͍̽̍͂͌͑́̐͗̐̀̚ͅB̷̢͓̭̙̝̯͎̥͍̜͖̯̻̉̑̓̈͆̚L̷̳͍̮̘̲̄Y̷̡̺͉̠̝͔͙̫̺̑͗̍̀̅͆͂̑͐̚̕͠*̵̨̜̘͎͓̹̩̪̪̭̮̣͖͖̠͑̑͊ ̸̫͉͖̩̂͗͌̐̓͝ḑ̷̧̧͖͔̤̪͍͕̺̘̰̠̭͛̓̓̑̔̕͝O̴̗̭̺̫̮̝̠̦̩͙̍͜?!** " He screamed at me.

I backed up, eyes wide. "I-I...I " I stuttered pathetically. He could be so unpredictable. I never knew what he was gonna do. It was thrilling, yes, but also terrifying.

He smirks victoriously, backing away. He exhales sharply, examining his knife-like nails with a sick grin.   
"Let's have some fun, shall we~?" He purrs.

"N-no, I-I'm good." I whisper, but I know I don't have a choice. Part of me feels that this is a punishment for failing our plan.

He blinks for a moment, and sighs to himself.   
"Shīt." He curses quietly. "I have to go. That bitch is coming to his room." He mumbles. "This  _ISN'T OVER."_  he snaps, then vanishes.

I give a huge sigh of relief, sinking to my knees.


	22. Chapter 22- Insane

**Mark** -

"J-Janet?" I ask hesitantly. "Can I see Sean? I promise I'll behave." I call out to the empty room I mean, they have cameras on me, maybe microphones, too? I can't exactly walk over to the intercom with this fucking chain.

"Mark... we have to be careful." Janet's voice announces over the intercom, and I hear her exhale softly. "I went and checked on him... no offense, but he was acting worse than you." I don't really take offense to it, but it peaks my curiosity.   
"What do you mean?" I ask. I can feel my heart rate pick up slightly. "I-is he okay?"

"Yes, Mark. He is fine." That only calms me slightly. "He's just... violent."

I swallow harshly. "L-let me see him. I can handle him." I say, not sure if this is a good idea, but not really caring either.

"Mark... I'm going to be brutally honest... no you can't." She sighed. "You couldn't handle him when he  _wasn't_  like this, do you really think you can now?"

"Y-yes." I say, then steady my voice. "I can talk to him. Help him. He'll listen to me."

"We can try to put you over the intercom system..." she murmured.

I nod, then remember she can't see me. "Okay." That's better than nothing.

Then, I see Janet bringing in a microphone and what seemed to be a control panel of some sort.   
"Alright... here she is." She whispers.

I run a hand through my hair and say hesitantly, unsure of myself. "S-Sean?"

There wasn't a response for a while, which had me slightly worried. Then, there was a small crackle in the audio, and I heard his voice.   
"Yesss~?"

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Hey. It's me. H-how ya doin?"

"Hello, me~ I'm doing  _JUST PEACHY."_  I hear an edge to his voice, and Janet bites her lip.

I try to ignore this and plow on. "You seem a little upset, Sean. Everything okay? You don't  _sound_ peachy." I say, chuckling a bit, despite myself.

He scoffs.   
"You find this  _funny_?" He asks, causing me to freeze. "This is anything  _BUT_ funny."

"N-no I-I didn't mean it that way, Sean." I say, backtracking frantically.

"Sure." I could practically feel the eyeroll. "Now, Janet. Why don't you put me in a straitjacket already?!" Janet freezes- she never announced her presence. At all.

"S-Sean?" I ask, more like a whisper, eyes wide.

"Call me Jack, darlin'." Sean purrs, sending shivers down my spine.

"O-okay...Jack. What's going on?" I ask, voice pathetically high.

"Nothing, Markimoo~" He giggles. I look over to Janet, and her face is as white as a sheet.

"Sean! What's going on?" I snap, forgetting his previous request.

"Nooooothhiiiiiiiinnnnggggg~" He purrs. "I told you!"

"Told me what?" I ask, voice hard.

"I told you, that it was nothing~!"

"Listen, Jackass, something is obviously up, and frankly you're scaring me a bit, so tell me what the hell is going on!" I yell. "Please." I add politely.

"Ooh~ I'm  _scaring_  you~?!" He cried out sarcastically.

I decide there's no reason to lie, so I go for the truth. "A bit, yes. You didn't answer my question, Sean."

" _You're_  wrong, Mark." Sean sighed in an annoyed fashion.

"Oh, okay." I say in a light, sarcastic voice. "So this is perfectly normal behavior for you, is it? Asking to be called Jack, being a nasty little shit, and doing whatever else you're doing in your room." I pause. "What  _are_ you doing, by the way? I can only hear you." As soon as I say it, I have a strange feeling that I'm not going to like the answer.

"Oh, Mark, Mark, Mark." Sean giggled. "I've changed because of you! Have you even  _noticed_ how you're acting?" Janet furrowed her brow.

"I-It's just anger issues." I say. Janet can't know about Dark. About Anti. Anger issues can be solved. Claiming to have a demon in my head? I'll never get out of here. "I-it's nothing to do with you." I lie feebly. Maybe if I lie enough it'll become true.

"Ohh, Marky~" Sean- or is it Anti, I really can't tell at this point, giggled. "Lying isn't nice~! How about you tell Janet what's really wrong?" Janet looked at me, furrowing her brow

"Don't call me that." I snap, leaving the calm tone behind. I can feel my anger rise drastically. Yea, it's just a name, but this isn't Sean saying it, and I don't like it.  
No. I don't dislike it.  
I  _hate_  it.  
"And I-I told you, anger issues. You know that, Sean, remember?" I ask, silently begging, pleading with Sean, Jack, Anti, whoever the fuck he is not to out me.

Janet eyes me suspiciously.  
"Mark?" She asks.   
"Is Darky still there? I wanna meet him!" Sean chirps, and I instantly turn off the microphone.

"No no no no no " I mutter, and I can feel Janet's eyes on me. "Mark. Who's Darky?"   
"Uh, n-no one." I say feebly, and she raises an eyebrow. I know there's no getting out of this one, and I can't think of a good lie on the spot. In a forced whisper I say "He's a demon inside of me."

Janet blinks, and stands. She thinks I'm insane. I close my eyes tightly.   
"Please..." I beg, but I don't even know what for. Janet puts a hand on my shoulder.  
"Mark..."

"N-no, it's true." I say. There's no taking it back, it's already out, but why am I going further? She'll think I'm more insane. "H-he's in my head, he's an alter ago, he tries to take over, like my body."

Janet thinks for a moment, then sits back down. She crosses her legs. I blink, staring at her confusedly.  
"Continue." She says.

"O-okay." I say, caught off guard. I was waiting for the straitjacket. "Well, his name is Darkiplier. Dark. He likes Anti, I mean Antisepticeye."

"Who does he belong to?" She asks, to my surprise.

"Sean." I answer promptly. "And they don't really belong to us, like pets or something, it's more like...part of us. Formed in us.They kinda do their own thing. I wish they belonged to us, then they might listen to us."

"How are they formed?" She questions. I'm just... confused, mostly. And surprised.

"I-I'm not a  _hundred_  percent sure, but from what I've gathered, they're...kinda like our bad emotions, like hate and anger, all that shit, manifested into an actual being." I say. I'm not sure if she's just pulling my leg, or actually believes me.

She furrows her brow.  
"I see..." she whispers. She stands, waving to me before she walks out of the room.

I call after her, stuck in the chair by this damn chain. "I'm not crazy!"

She doesn't respond to my dismay, turning down the hall to Jack's room.

Muttering under my breath, I take my free right hand and hit the buttons I saw Janet press, and hear a crackle from the machine, so I think I'm connected to S-Jack's room. Speaking clearly, I say "I hate you. I hope you burn in hell."

"I'm already there, sweetheart~" I hear Jack cackle, and he then bursts into a fit of insane giggles.

"There's something  _wrong_  with you." I say. "And I'm not your sweetheart."

"Of course there's something wrong with me, love..." Jack says quietly. "And who says you aren't?"

"I-I do,  _love_ " I say, sneering. I want to hurt him, hurt him badly. "You're probably right, you know? I was fooling myself. I probably never loved you, actually. It was just the proximity, living together, and I had just left Amy, so I was lonely."

"Aww, boo hoo, Markimoo is  _sooo_  lonely." Jack mocks in a sarcastic tone. "Well, aren't we all? You're not the only one, MARK." He snaps, and the audio starts to crackle.

Instantly my anger fades, and I feel something break in me.  
"Y-you're right..." I say softly, almost to myself. "I am..."

I hear him giggle, then it slowly turns into hysteric laughter.

I can feel myself near tears, you can hear it in my voice, and I don't know why, really. "Sean, please, stop..."

He only laughs harder. I soon hear people shouting at him to calm down.   
"I'LL CALM DOWN WHEN I'M DEAD!" He screams, but it comes over on the microphone as glitched and distorted.

I break down, head on the desk, sobbing. I don't care if he hears me. I don't care. I don't care. I don't care.


	23. Chapter 23- Don’t Care

**Sean** -

I open my eyes, and find that my whole body just... aches. It hurts to move, so I don't. Not like I could've, as I was in a... a straitjacket? I struggle a bit, calling out for help.  
"SOMEONE!  _PLEASE_!" I cry out desperately, my breathing quickening. I see Janet peek into the room from the window. I try to get up and go to her, but as soon as I stand, I trip and fall to the floor.

I lay there, unable to stand up, nose touching the floor. "Janet! Mark!" I yell, but get no answer.

I squeeze my eyes shut, calling out for them multiple times before falling silent. They aren't coming. Why would they?

I hear a crackle, a burst of static electricity, and I hear Janet's voice. "Sean? Stop struggling."

I look up, freezing for a moment.   
"J-Janet?" I ask weakly.

"Yea. Sean, I really don't know if this is a good idea, based on yesterday, but we're hoping that there's a part of Mark that will still listen to you, that you can get through to him, because he won't listen to any of us." she says.

"Wh... What do you mean?" I question feebly, laying down on my back.

 **Mark** -

"Mark? Do you need to use the bathroom?"   
I shake my head slightly, and I hear footsteps retreat, a door open and close. I continue staring at the ceiling. They finally unchained me from the desk chair.   
I just woke up from a nap. All I've done since the incident is sit here, lay here, answering their questions, such as-  
"Do you need to use the restroom, Mark?"   
A simple shake or nod of the head answers, and if I say yes, they lead me to the bathroom in the hall. After that I go back to my room, back to the bed.  
"Mark, do you want to eat?"  
I shake my head no, every time. After a while of this, the need to relieve myself lessens too, and I find myself saying no to the first question.   
Janet just came in a few minutes ago. She reminds me that as my nurse as well as counselor, my health is her priority, and if I don't eat soon, she'll put a feeding tube in my stomach. To this, I say nothing, staring at the ceiling, and she sighs, walking out.

She soon comes back, and I look over to see her with Sea- Jack outside of the door. He was in a straitjacket. I instantly pale, seeing him. He looks miserable, avoiding my gaze and saying something to Janet. She gives a small nod, and he nods back, and she takes off the jacket.

I turn away, scooting myself closer to the edge of the bed, against the wall, and say nothing.

I hear his footsteps. They're soft, and quiet, slowly getting louder as they got closer. He then stops, sitting down next to me.   
"Mark?" He asks softly.

I ignore him. I don't care anymore. He was right, all those things he said. Why does he have to be here to rub it in? They think I'm insane now, for certain, why couldn't he just let me rot here in peace?

"Mark, please talk to me." He whispers, and I can hear a small break in his voice.

I jerk my head to the side slightly. I'm sure he's just doing this because Janet asked him. He doesn't care.

Sighing, I decide to stop being a little bitch and roll my head so that it's not facing the wall but the ceiling instead.

He slowly puts his hand to my head, moving it back and forth. He's trying to calm me down, to make me putty in his hands. I won't let him. I won't let him control me, manipulate me so all he could do is throw me out when he's done. I won't.

I close my eyes, trying to ignore the feeling of calm spreading through me. I hated it, yes, but it  _still_ managed to affect me.

"Mark..." he says calmly and quietly. "Can you please eat? I'm worried about you." He's not worried about me. Why would he be?

I say nothing, do nothing, as though I don't hear him, or know he's even there. I really want to say "You'll have to shove it down my throat." But he's not worth the effort.

"Mark... I don't... I don't remember what I did, or what I said." He mumbles. "Hell, all I remember is passing out, then waking up in a straitjacket. I'm so, so sorry. I heard the recordings.. I-I didn't... I didn't  _mean_  any of it.."

 _Bullshit_. I think.

I give a sigh. He's gonna have to do a lot more than that to get a reaction. Excuses won't do shit.

"Mark." He says, an edge to his voice. "I'm serious! I know what you're thinking."

_No you don't. You know nothing._

"That's bullshit, yadda yadda ya." He says in a deep, mock-me voice.

I give a slight snort, despite myself. He  _is_ right.

He grins a bit, seeing that he got a reaction from me.

I quickly press my lips together, acting as if nothing happened.

He giggles. Just that action.. ugh. I hate to admit it, but my heart flutters. I  _love_ his giggle, even after everything...

I bite my lip, breathing deeply. He is  _not_ getting a reaction from me, no matter what he does..

He gets up from the bed, finally. I hear him walk off, whisper something to Janet, and then come back and sit next to me.   
"I'm gonna help you eat, okay?" He asks, but I know I don't have a choice.

I shrug slightly, but stay laying down. Maybe I'll choke, be out of his hair.

Mentally, I roll my eyes. I don't need help eating, I just don't want to.

He nods, seeming happy that he got a reaction. Dammit!

Instantly I freeze up, staring at the ceiling as if it's the most fascinating thing in the world.

He slowly moves over, interrupting my view of the ceiling with his face.   
"What's with the ceiling?" He asks.

I roll my eyes, staring straight ahead at his face, as if he wasn't there, but say nothing.

He seems to situate himself there, staring at me.

I glare at him, staring right back. Two can play this game.

He blinks, cocking an eyebrow at my attitude.

I give a little smirk and raise my eyebrows slightly, I can't help myself.  _I win._

He giggles a small bit before sitting back, looking proud of himself.

I blow the loose hair out of my face, resuming my staring match with the tiles above me.

Jack began to play with my hair, braiding some of it.

I glowered, lip twitching slightly.

He glanced at me. "What?" He asked innocently.

I opened my mouth slightly, quickly snapping it shut and gazing at the ceiling as though I were seeing straight to heaven.

He let out out a soft huff.  
"Okay, the silent treatment is okay." He mumbles.

I sigh, closing my eyes. He's not getting out of this easily, not this time.

Just then, I hear the door open with a slight click. Se- Jack turns to face the door, and turns out, it was my food.

I sigh again, closing my eyes. Hopefully he'll get the message, soon- I'm not  _interested_.

He takes the plate, picking up a fork.  
"Okay... it's kinda shitty, I'm pretty sure." He murmurs.

I exhale loudly through my nose, reluctantly looking at him, but locking my lips together. I'm not hungry.  
Okay, that's a lie. But still.  
I'm not eating.

"Mark... do you  _really_  want to have a feeding tube in your stomach?" Jack asked, taking a piece of the... it looked like macaroni. I'm not sure. He held it in front of my face.

I turned my face away slightly, lips tight together, like a small child.

"Mark..." He mumbles. "Please.."

I look at him, there's true pain in his blue eyes. Sighing, I sit up.

The pain almost vanishes as relief washes over his face.

"I still hate you." I mutter.

His expression falters for a moment, and he laughs a small bit. It sounded rather... dead. He hands me the plate.

I take a small bite, and my nose wrinkles. "Chica's dog food tastes better than this shit."

"Probably..." He whispers, looking to the side.

I put down the plate. I...I can't bear to see him in pain, even after all this. I wrap my arms around his waist.

He stiffens up a small bit, but gently leans into my touch.  
"I'm so, so, sorry..." He murmurs, and I can hear the pain in his voice.

I lean my face into his shoulder, and I can feel myself crying. How fucking pathetic can I get?

He then wrapped his arms around me, rubbing my back soothingly.  
"It's okay, Mark..."

I could feel myself shaking with sobs, and his sleeve was all wet and gross, but I really didn't care.

He doesn't seem to care as well, shushing me softly.  
"It's okay, Mark.. It's all okay..." He murmured

"I was so scared..." I whisper. "Scared I lost you..."

"I know, I know..." He muttered. "I'm so, so, sorry..." He sounds honest. I don't know if I can believe him, though..

I sigh, my sobs subsiding, and just lay there, cheek on his shoulder, eyes closed.

He doesn't seem to mind, resting his head on mine.  
"I'm so stupid..." He whimpers.

"Yes, yes you are." I say, smiling slightly.

He exhaled quietly, pouting at me.  
"Really?"

"Absolutely."

"You're... ugh." Sean rolled his eyes.

"Amazing? I know."

"A dick? I know." He replied sarcastically, but laughed a bit.

I smirk. "Yea. A big one."

He rolls his eyes.  
"Whatever."

I sit up, wiping my cheeks. I've cried enough in the last few days to last a lifetime.

He glances at me, sighing softly.

I smile slightly, pulling him into a quick hug. I don't know if he wants me to kiss him, or if I want to.

He hugs me back, and he presses a small kiss to my temple before burying his face in my shoulder.

"I love you, Jackass." I whisper.

"I love you, too." 


	24. Chapter 24- My Fault

**Mark** -

**"I love you, too."**

"I know you do" I say smirking, then freeze as a thought comes to me, Janet's words. "What kind of relationship  _is_ this? I mean, one minute we're beating the shit out of each other or saying the nastiest things, and the next we're doing...this.".

I see Sean realize this as well, as he stares at the wall for a moment and blinks. "Well... u-um.." He tries to provide an answer, which is sweet, but not what we really need.

I chuckle, putting my head back on his neck. "Don't push yourself, Jackass." I say.   
My nose is touching his neck, and it's touching a strange purple mark on his neck. The marks  _I_ left. I tense up, and can feel my breathing become a bit more shallow and fast.Sean notices this, looking down at me and raising an eyebrow.   
"Uh... Mark?" He asks softly, his crystal blue eyes flashing with concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Y-yea." I say, attempting a normal tone and failing immensely.

"Are you sure?" Sean asks, shifting a bit in his seat. "You're starting to worry me, Mark..."

I shake my head. "N-no. I-I'm good. I'm good." I say, averting his gaze and reaching for the plate, though I can still feel his eyes on me. As I do so, my stomach rumbles. The food tastes like shit, but I haven't eaten in what, a day and a half? I don't know, and frankly, I don't quite care.

He gives a small nod, keeping his eyes trained on me as I pull the food into lap, and take my fork.

I focus on the lumpy pasta, shoveling it mechanically in my mouth, not tasting a thing. Chew, swallow, repeat.   
When I'm done, I set the plate down on the floor, and an odd thought occurs to me- they don't trust me with pens and pencils, but they trust me with a fork?

Just then, a worker comes in, takes the plate, and quickly takes it away. Jack sighs softly.   
"Was that  _really_ so hard?" He asks me worriedly.

I give him a hard look, eyebrow raised.

_Not funny._

He notices this and raises his hands up in 'surrender'.  
"Sorry, sorry." He says. "Shouldn't have asked."

"It's fine."I mutter, and he starts to stand up, head to the door, and for some reason I feel a spike of panic run through me. But  _why_? I don't want him...  
"Stay. Please." The words spill out of me.

He stops dead in his tracks, looking over his shoulder at me. He cocks an eyebrow, studying me carefully.   
"Y-You're... you're sure?" He murmured, furrowing his brow.

I nod quickly. What am I  _doing_?

He walks back over, sitting himself down next to me.  
"O-Okay.."

My heart sinks as I lay back down. I...I think he's scared of me.

What have I done?

He glances around, and his eyes land on the paper and crayons. He gets up, walking over and grabbing a few.

I chuckle. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm doing IMPORTANT WORK!" He screams, but it's his playful scream. His video scream. His Jack scream. He begins to draw, chewing on his lip slightly.

I laugh. "Okay, okay. Jeez." I say, bringing my knees to my chest and watching him from the bed.

After a few minutes of  _intense focus,_ , Sean reveals his drawing of a crudely drawn SepticEye Sam.

"Look!"

I give a slow clap. "Van Gogh you are not."

"Oh, gimme a break." Sean rolls his eyes. " _You_  try it."

Smirking, I stretch out on the bed, laying my head in my hand. "I have a better idea. Jack, I want you to draw me like one of your French girls."

Sean rolls his eyes again, chuckling under his breath. He begins to scribble down on the paper, and after a few minutes, he shows me... a drawing of a dick.

I scoff, then smirk. "That's not accurate. Mine is bigger."

"Are you sure about that?" He asks, cocking an eyebrow.

I smirk. "Yea, you wanna see, Jackass?" Then flush bright red- I can't believe I just said that.

He blushes about as deeply as me, clearing his throat loudly.   
"I-I-"

"Y-y-y-you what?" I ask, mocking him, enjoying his discomfort.

He pouts, his red face making him look like a child.   
"Stop it!" He whimpers.

"Stop what, babe?" I ask with wide eyes, tilting my head to the side.

"Teasing me!" He whines, crossing his arms.

I smirk even wider. "So you do want it." I say, then laugh at the look on his face. "Relax, there are cameras anyway, I'm not in the mood to make a porno."

"St-Stop..." he mutters, blushing even deeper and looking away. "You're meeaaannn..."

"Whatever am I doing, love?" I ask, frowning.

"Being meeeeeaaaaaaaaannnnnn..." he whines playfully, pouting even more than before.

"How so?"

"You're teasing mee..."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"You know what I'm talking about!"

I chuckle. "I haven't the slightest. Besides, you wouldn't want anything like that, so..."

He thinks for a moment, then smirks at me.   
"Who said I wouldn't?"

It's my turn to blush. "W-What?" I ask. Great, now I'm the one stuttering.

He giggles innocently, completely opposite to what he had just said.   
"I just said, 'who said I wouldn't'."

I glare at him, getting off the bed and walking towards the chair and desk he's sitting at. "There were implications. What did you mean?" I growl.

He shrinks back, noticing my suddenly aggressive behavior.   
"M-Mark, I-I'm joking..." he stammers out nervously.

I stare at him, then walk back to the bed, sinking onto the mattress and fighting back tears.

He blinks, slowly standing up.  
"Is everything alright?"

I nod. "Fine." I whisper.   
I'm a monster. I'm a danger, I scare people. I hurt people.  
And it's all my fault.


	25. Chapter 25- Old

**Mark** -

I'm a monster. I'm a danger, I scare people. I hurt people.

And it's all my fault.

"Mark, you're not 'fine'." He walks over to the bed, frowning. "You're starting to worry me." He whispers, starting to rub my back.   
I shrug. "That's all I'm doing. Worrying and scaring people."

"You can't help it, Mark..." He lays down, staring at me. His  _eyes_.. they're filled with concern and care, but there's... there's something else. I can't pinpoint it.

I sniff. "You're scared of me. Don't lie, it's true. I make a quick movement and you flinch."

"Well..." Sean lets out a sigh. He's ashamed of his actions, I can tell. "I... I don't want the same thing that happened before, to happen again." He tucked a small strand of hair behind my ear.

"You mean me trying to kill you." I whisper, I can feel the tears burning my eyes.

His hand lands on my cheek, and his thumb strokes my cheekbone a small bit.   
"Yeah." He mutters, confirming my suspicions. He's afraid of me.

I sigh, and I can feel the tears escape, sliding down my cheeks. Just when I thought I ran out of tears.

As usual, Sean is there, holding me tightly and shushing me. I'm sick and tired of this. It's become routine. I'm being a little bitch, so he's the shoulder for me to cry on.  _I_  want to be that shoulder!  _I_  want to be the one that's there for Sean! He has so many other problems  _I_ should be helping him with, but here he is.

"I hate this." I whisper.

"It's okay, love. I'm here for you." Sean whispers gently, wiping my tears.

After a few minutes, I start to relax. "You should try and get some sleep, okay, Markimoo?" he says, starting to sit up, probably to go back to his room. In response, I lay my head on his chest, freezing his movement. He tenses up a bit, but then relaxes, chuckling, and I can feel the vibrations in his chest. He lays down, puts one hand to my hair, the other to my back, tracing small patterns on the skin, and that's all I remember.


	26. Chapter 26- Can’t Breathe

**Mark** -

I'm running. Hard. I don't know where, or why, but I'm running. My throat hurts, it's hard to breathe, but I have to keep going, get somewhere- am I running to something, or away from something?   
It doesn't matter.  
I keep running, and just when I can't go anymore, when I'm gasping for breath and my hearts gonna pound out of my chest, I wake up.  
  
But I still can't breathe.

That's the first thing I notice. The second thing I notice is that it was dark, except for the lights outside of my room. My hands shoot to my neck, searching for the hands that were gripping so tightly around it and trying to pry them off.

"See how it feels?!" I hear a voice snap, which makes my heart drop all of the way to hell. Sean.

I can't answer, wheezing now, gasping for breath. My throat, it hurts, and I feebly claw at the fingers wrapped in a vice-like grip around it, cutting off my air. Bright white spots of light appear in my vision, and I'm twitching, and it  _hurts_ , and then my body relaxes and I stop struggling and then there's nothing at all.

The next thing I know, I gasp out, feeling air practically forced into my lungs. I hear Sean screaming hysterically, growling and shouting. I try to sit up, but I'm pushed down by someone I can't see clearly yet. Only a silhouette.

I try to blink quickly, to clear my vision, but it feels like everything I do is in slow motion, and takes a huge amount of effort.

But I need to get up, I need to find Sean, I need to help him. That wasn't him, it couldn't have been, it had to have been Anti. Sean, the one I know, he doesn't hurt people on purpose, he draws dicks and he screams like a girl and he helps anyone in need. I try to say this, or at least convey something like this message, but it comes out as a mumbled, heavy stream of nonsense.

"Mark, Mark, calm down." It's Janet. Her voice hits me like a truck; it was so  _loud_. "Everything's okay. We've managed to contain Sean. You'll be alright..." Slowly, her words begin to fade out. I was just so...  _tired_.

I swallow, and it hurts. I take a labored breath, and it hurts. I can feel my eyes closing, but I don't want to sleep. I want- I  _need_ to find Sean...

I feel Janet slowly push me back onto the bed, and a mask is put over my mouth. This only makes my need for sleep stronger, but I try and force myself to stay awake. For Sean. I can faintly hear his shouts in the background, and then harsh sparks of electricity.

My eyes widen against the heavy weights on my eyelids. "What are they doing to him?" I ask, but with the strained voice that sounds nothing like my own, the mask and the sleepiness it comes out as "Wuareudoim?"

Janet looks to me, raising an eyebrow.   
"Hmm? What is it?" She asks, not seeming to understand me.

I cough, or try to, but with the mask on, I wind up choking on my own air. Quickly, Janet takes it off, and in a slow voice that's high and croaky, not at all my usual deep tones "What are they doing to him? What was that?"  
  


"They just tasered him. He nearly bit off some skin from one of the workers- we had no choice...." Janet says softly, rubbing my shoulder. My eyes widen and I instantly try to sit up to look for him, but I end up being held down by Janet. She made an effort not to hurt me, pinning me down by holding my wrists. She was... surprisingly strong.

"Janet, let me go!" I shout, or try to, but it comes out as half croak, half wheeze, and I can feel angry tears in my eyes.

 _"No_ , Mark." Janet says sternly, her words about as firm as her grip. "I can't have you hurting yourself even more. Sean will be fine. We'll take him to solitary confinement. You'll be able to talk to him, we promise."

"I'm not hurting myself, I'm helping him!" I wheeze.

"Mark, if you want to be able to speak again, I suggest you shut your mouth." Janet snaps, making me clamp my mouth shut. I don't give up on trying to get up, leaving her no choice but to strap me down.

Immobile and mute, I glare at her, making every possible effort to fight the wave of exhaustion and medication threatening to pull me under.

Janet crosses her arms, challenging my stare with hers.

I glare back, a battle of wills, but my eyelids are becoming heavier by the second.

Janet seems to notice this and smirks.  
"Nighty night, Markimoo..."

"Screw you." I mumble, trying to lift my hand and give her the finger, but I can't, even without the straps binding my limbs, I wouldn't have the strength to lift a pinkie. I give her a look of absolute loathing as I feel myself slipping away, letting the dark waters roll over me, pulling me into the horrible, unknown sea of unconsciousness.


	27. Chapter 27- High Horse

I watch from the corner as he slowly slips into a deep sleep, and yet again I'm surrounded by my own domain. Darkness. I stroll along, contemplating the madness that had just occurred. We had almost  _died_.

Nothing gives you a wake up call like almost being strangled by your best friend. I have a half a mind to go and confront him, but then again, he might make good on his promise from earlier, and I really don't want that...  
Deciding to screw it, I go after him, finding him lurking in a corner, filing his knife like nails with too much pleasure. "What the hell?" I snap. He can't just try to kill Mark- kill me- kill  _us_ and get away with it.

He glances up at me, grinning that  _disgusting_ grin.   
"What?" He asks, giggling innocently. I growl under my breath.  
"YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!" I snap angrily, clenching my fists. I know I'm  speaking for everyone- Host, Wilford, Google, hell, even the King of the Fucking Squirrels when I lash out at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about, baby." he says, frowning, but I can see the glint in his eyes. "Don't call me that!" I snap, then shake my head. "And to think, I actually liked you." I say, then snap my mouth shut, eyes wide. I actually just said that... _shit_.

Anti looks at me... and he's almost impressed. I can see a slight wave of shock pass over his face for a second, and he then snorts.   
"Yeah, right. Dark, I only did what I  _had_ to." He scoffs.

For a moment, my entire body feels warm, with pride or some other stupid thing. I think he's proud of me, for sticking up for myself. Well, I'm not the only one who'll be sticking things, I'll tell him where he can stick it...  
That's when it hits me- is this because of our argument from earlier? He said it wasn't over, yet he never came back...is he willing to kill, because of a spat...?  
  
"What do you mean, 'had to'?" I spit.

He examines his nails for a moment, jumping lightly to his feet from the dark corner and walking around me, taking long strides just to seem powerful. I've played that game before, I know what he's trying to do.   
"Remember our agreement? Our  _plan_?" He asks. "We have to get  _rid of Mark and Jack_. By  _ANY_ means possible." He lashes out at me at 'any' and I flinch involuntary.

"Well, you're obviously not the brains of this operation, dumbass. You forgot one key piece of information, moron- we kill them, we die too!" I say, leaning towards him. I'm not sure where this courage is coming from, but I hope it lasts, or else I'm good as dead.

He snorts.   
"Do you REALLY think I  _care_?" He asks, and I blink. He's... he's insane. Suicidal. Kamikaze. Mentally ill. He sees my shocked expression, and practically explodes into laughter.

I stare at him, eyes wide. "Y-you... it was our plan, to get rid of them both, together...but...but you, you tried to kill him..k-kill  _me_..." I say, the truth setting in, backing up

"It's my goal to kill Jack. By any means possible." He calms down from his fit, chuckling. "Don't take it personally, Darkipoo~" He then takes the same stance as I usually do. Posture straight, arms behind his back with his hands touching his elbows with his feet together. "Think of it as business."

"Don't mock me." I spit, disgusted and enraged. How can he stand there so calm, talking about such things, and smile about them joke around?

"'Don't mock me.'" He mocks, only pushing me off even more. "Look at you, with your pitiful pride." He mutters. "Can't you just get off your high horse and  _live_ a little?!"

  
"One, there's a difference between living and being stupid. Two, I'm not on a high horse, I'm using my brain, something you lack. And third, you or I may not be  _living_ much longer, the way you're going about things!" I say, fixing my tie as I finish.

He listens to my information, then taps his fingers together.   
"Dark, I have a question for you." He turns to me. "What's our purpose?"

I frown, thrown off by his query, eyebrows knitting together. "To...um.." I trail off, never having thought about it before.

He starts humming the 'Jeopardy' theme, walking around me. After he finishes, he stops right in front of me.   
"Well? Time's up."

"I-I don't know."I say, shrinking back a fraction of an inch. His circling reminded me of vultures over their prey...

I don't like this, this game he's playing with me, it's making me nervous and unsteady on my feet, unsure of myself. Which is exactly what he wants.

He raises his eyebrows in amusement, a smirk grazing his lips. It then vanishes, replaced with a scowl.   
"We were made to KILL, you IDIOT!" He screams.

 I flinch, jumping a bit. "I-I, yea, I." I stutter stupidly. He lets out a sharp sigh. 

"Now. What do we have to do, now that it's been refreshed in our minds?" He asks.

"Kill." I whisper.

"Good boy!" Anti praises me like a fucking dog, patting my head and smiling 'happily'.

I grit my teeth, exhaling sharply, resisting the urge to grab his arm and break his fucking wrist.

He giggles, then blinks rapidly. He looks around, making a face.   
"I have to go." He mutters, then gives me a dirty look. "Don't try anything." He says, before vanishing.

_I wouldn't dream of it._


	28. Chapter 28- Plans

**Mark-**  
I groan softly, prying my eyes open and instantly wincing against the bright white lights. Everything felt stiff, as if I had been sleeping for ten years straight. I hear someone scoff.  
"Finally, you're awake."

I look over, squinting, ready with a sharp retort, but my throat is still fucked, and I can't say anything.

There, in the corner,  I see  _him_. Black and white suit, pasty, gray, pale skin, dark eyeliner around the eyes, 3D distortion around him, the same black hair parted to the side. He flashes me a sickening smile.   
"Mark."

"Oh, fuck no." I say, my voice sounding like a chain-smoker's. "I must be dead. I must have died from my injuries, and now I'm in hell." I whisper to myself. "Or else this is just some really weird reaction to the medications."

"Oh, haha. Very funny." He spits, rolling his eyes. "But, no. You aren't in hell, and you aren't high. I'm real, and you're alive." He explains, gesturing to both of us in turn.

I shake my head. "No, no, this can't be real, I just, I don't know, I've been thinking about you too much and now I'm having a  _very_ realistic dream." I say, trying to find a rational explanation. I don't want him here, not again, never again.

Dark sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.   
"Try how you want to find another solution, there isn't one." He sends a sharp glare towards me. "I'm. Real."

"And quite frankly," he adds, beginning to pace back and forth from one end of the room to the other. "Sick. And. TIRED of everyone's bullshit."

I frown, my eyes following him. "Um, I'm...sorry?"

He presses his folded hands to his forehead, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.  
"Alright. I have a proposition for you." He opens his eyes, letting his arms fall behind his back as he clasps them together.

I nod. "O-okay." I'm pretty sure making deals with a demon isn't on any top ten list of remotely good ideas, but at the same time, I really don't want to disagree with him.Plus I'm already in Crazytown, so might as well become a full time resident. It doesn't get more mental then talking to a demon who very possibly is just a figure of your imagination.

Dark looks up towards the camera on the ceiling, and snaps his fingers. Instantly there's a crackle, and it hangs dead.   
"Not like they would've noticed us anyways." He mumbled. "Two are asleep and one's off on his break." He then turned to face me. "And trust me, this is about as painful for me as it is for you."

I raise my eyebrows, then scowl. "Okay, that mind reading thing, or whatever the hell you're doing, yea, stop it."

"It's not so much a choice as it is instinct." He mutters. "I can hear everyone's thoughts. It gives me a headache. And you wonder why I'm such a 'dick'." He uses air quotes for his words.

I open my mouth in retort, then close it. He does have a point, I can see how that would get annoying. He's still a dick though.

"That's what I thought." He flashes a confident smirk at me. "I can prove it, if you're still in disbelief."

I nod, not wanting to strain my damn throat more than it is already.

He thinks for a moment, then points out of the window to a worker passing by.  
"He's thinking about some odd cramps he's been having, and pains in his lower back. He Googled it earlier, and it said he had cancer."

I laugh. "Web M.D?"

"Yeah." He nods, sighing.

I laugh more. "Here, here, let me try to see what you're thinking... um, stupid humans?"

"Well... not that, necessarily. You aren't  _stupid_ , just... ignorant." He mutters, and I'm taken slightly aback.

I raise an eyebrow, nodding. "Fair point. You're really not that bad. We're kinda alike, actually."

"In your dreams." He scoffs, rolling his eyes. "Anything else? You know, that Janet... she has some pretty interesting thoughts."

"What do you mean, interesting?" I ask, curiosity peaked.

"One divorce, two stillbirths... oh! Abuse..." he taps his chin. "I haven't gotten this far..."

"Oh my god.. I had no idea.." I say, feeling awful for all the times I'd been nasty to her. "I thought you were gonna say she liked me, she seems very nice to me, even nicer then with Sean."

"Exactly. She values you like children." Dark says, rolling his eyes. "That's why she got into the business. To be able to care for people when others in her life couldn't for her." Dark then covers his mouth as if he's going to vomit.

I frown. "Hey- be nice."

He uncovers his mouth, and shudders.   
"Do you think that  _I_ of all people- no, demons, can be  _nice_?"

I open my mouth to respond, but my throat constricts, and I start coughing, sitting up, choking and coughing and gasping for breath all at the same time, tears in my eyes, chest aching. Dark looks at me, a bored expression on his face, and snaps his fingers. At once, my airway opens up and my lungs start acting like lungs again. After several deep breaths, I look up at him. "Why..why did you do that? Why didn't you just let me die?"

He sighs.   
"Because then  _I_ would die, idiot." He snaps, exhaling sharply. "Please tell me you know why so I won't have to explain." He mutters.

I take a wild guess. "Because...I kinda created you, so now we have the same life force?"

Dark blinks, surprised.   
"Well, Wilford, tell him what he's won." He mumbled sarcastically

"Wait, I was right? Cause I was just guessing."

He clears his throat.  
" _Anyways_ , enough screwing around. Let's get down to business."

I nod. "Okay..."

"I want you to help me get rid of Anti."

I frown. "And how exactly do we do that? Walk up to him and say 'Please leave'? Wait- why do you want to get rid of him?"

"Because he's treating me like a fucking animal!" Dark snaps, and I can see the red and blue around him shake and glitch out from his anger.

I shrink back a bit. "O-okay. So what do we do?"

He takes deep breaths, looking to the window. People are passing by, glancing in but not seeming to notice Dark. Just me.   
"We either kick him out of Sean, try and make him a bit more timid, or maybe, just maybe, we can kill him."

"No! That'll kill Sean, idiot!" I say, heart rate spiking.

"No, no, no." He sighs sharply, rolling his eyes. "If we kill Anti, for Sean it'd be like cutting off a limb. It'd hurt, but he'd live." Dark explains. "Just as you and I. If I were to die, it would hurt for you, but you wouldn't die."

I press my lips together. "So how would we go about this? Wouldn't Anti catch on to what we're doing?"

"That all depends." Dark says, and begins pacing again.

"On?" I ask, not liking the idea already, but I know I don't have much choice in the matter.

"On you." He looks at me, his eyes boring into my very soul. "And me, I suppose. I'll need a few things, and some help. You have to help me get them."

"Depends on what it is, I can't exactly go shopping." I say, motioning to the room.

*I need you to distract Sean, or Anti -whichever is in control- while I delve into his mind to try and find a weapon." Dark explains.

I nod. "Oh, okay, so he's got a Glock lying around in there? Or a machete?" I say, sarcasm lacing my voice.

Dark gives me a harsh look. "No, I mean memories. Anti is a being made from emotions, that's what he is, negative feelings. So we combat him with positive ones."

"Okay...and if something happens to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"If he fucking kills you!"I snap.

"Oh, right. Hopefully, he won't." He shrugs. "If I do die, one of your other alter egos will take over."

"O-oh."I say, nodding. There's nothing else to say.

Dark looks to the door, seeing it being opened by Janet. He becomes a small bit translucent as she walks over to me, sitting down on the bed.   
"Hey. How're you feeling?"

I smile, trying to be respectful, in make up for my past actions. "I feel good. I mean, I sound like I smoke a pack a day, and my throat feels like an elephant stepped on it, but otherwise, I've never been better."

She chuckles a small bit, and I notice Dark watching her with cold eyes.  
"Well, that's good, I suppose. I was just wondering if you'd want to check on Sean. He will be chained up, and about two feet away, just in case."

I take a quick look at Dark, then nod. "Yea, that'd be great. and, uh, I want to apologize, for earlier, I was an asshole, you were just doing your job, trying to help, I shouldn't have been so nasty."  
  
I glance quickly in Dark's direction. What's his issue?

"It's alright, Mark. You've been very kind to me, which is more than I could've asked for." Janet smiles at me. Dark crosses his arms, and then vanishes. Janet shakes her head suddenly, groaning.  
"Agh... headache." She mutters.

"No, I haven't, really, I was a jerk. And you didn't deserve it, you deserve someone who's nice to you, respects you. You have every right to ask for someone like that, you deserve it, so much. And do you wanna sit down, are you okay?" I ask, worried by the sudden headache as well as Dark's timely disappearance.

Janet looks at me, bewildered. She studies me for a moment with questioning eyes, then sighs.   
"Thank you, Mark." She brings me in for a hug, resting her head on my shoulder. "That's about the first time I've heard that, ever."

I smile, returning the hug and rubbing her back soothingly. "It's okay. It shouldn't be that way, though." I say.

She shifts for a moment, getting comfortable before she pulls away. She lets out a small groan, massaging her temples. I then notice Dark reappear, scowling.

I shoot him a warning glance, eyes wide, and then look back at her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I just need sleep. I haven't taken a break since you guys have arrived." She chuckles slightly.

"Oh my god, really? I'm so sorry, shit!"

"No, no, it's fine, it's fine!" Janet says quickly, holding out her hands.

"Hey, relax, relax. I'm not gonna flip. It's okay." I say, smiling.

She laughs a bit, seeming to calm down.   
"Y-Yeah... I guess..."

"See, when I'm not screaming like a maniac or being a rude son of a bitch, I'm kinda okay."

She snorts, hitting my arm playfully.   
"You aren't rude, Mark."

"Yes, trust me, I was. You're just too nice to admit." I say, chuckling.

"No, I'm not admitting it because it's not true. You're not rude, Mark." She repeats.

"There's no way I'm winning this argument, is there?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"Nope." She crosses her arms, shaking her head.

"Okay, fine, I'm not rude." I say grinning.

"Exactly!" She chirps happily.

I roll my eyes. "You're impossible."

"No, I'm Janet." She replies with a smirk.

"Nice to meet you."

She snorts, shaking her head.

I smile. "Seriously, though- get some rest.I can see him later, afterwards." She starts to protest, and I use the classic "Shut up nurse!"

Janet rolls her eyes, then walks out and comes back, handing me the infamous microphone.  
"Here. You can talk to him with this while I'm gone."

"Thank you." I smile and tap the mic. "This is Wilford Waaaarfstache, do you read me?"

There was a small bit of static, and I hear Sean's quiet voice.   
"M-Mark..?" He calls out quietly.

"Yes, Sean, it's me." I say patiently.

He laughs bitterly.   
"I... I was pretty sure you'd never want to talk to me again after... after what happened."

"Of course not."I say, and Janet yawns and walks out. Instantly I cover the microphone with my hand and look at Dark. "What did you do?" Then to Sean- "It wasn't you, Sean."

""I went to have a look inside of her head." Dark said innocently.   
"B-But... but it was.. wasn't it?" Sean asks, his voice breaking.

Into the microphone, I say "No, Sean. It was Anti.He's messing with your mind, Sean.Playing with your head"

To Dark, "You already did, earlier. And you looked pissed, you gave her a nasty look. What did you find?"

"B-But... but the men... the men, they told me that- that I did it." He whimpers softly. "They locked me away, a-and put me in a straight jacket. I'm so lonely, and my head hurts. I'm so sorry!" He sounds like he's going to start crying.   
  
Dark looks at me and says. "She's planning something. I think she loves you, Mark."


	29. Chapter 29- One Word Answers

**Mark** -

"B-But... but the men... the men, they told me that- that I did it." He whimpers softly. "They locked me away, a-and put me in a straitjacket. I'm so lonely, and my head hurts. I'm so sorry!" He sounds like he's going to start crying.

"I think she loves you, Mark." Dark says with a frown.

I blink. "W-what?"  
My heart breaks at Sean words. In a soft voice I say "Sean, they don't know what really happened, and even if they did, they wouldn't believe you. I'm sorry, love."

Dark sighs.   
"You heard me."  
  
Sean then actually starts to cry. Hearing it practically tears my heart in half.

"I want to go home, Mark! I've hated this place ever since we'd gotten here! I miss Chica, I miss video games, I-I miss our f-fans!" Sean sobs out.

"I know, I know, so do I. I'm gonna fix this, okay? I got us in here, I'll get us out. Trust me." I say in a soothing voice. I can hear that he's trying to calm down from his heavy breathing, but I'm still worried.   
  
Dark looks to the speaker, then vanishes again.

"Please, baby, relax, deep breaths, it's okay." I say, speaking loudly over Sean's sobs.

Everything goes quiet, and Dark returns a minute later. "Well?" I ask, standing up.

"I made him sleep. His sobbing was annoying." Dark mumbles, walking over to a chair and sitting down.

I glower. "You could  _try_  to have a bit of sympathy." I say, but I'm glad he's resting, at peace for a bit, and move my mind to other things. "So. Janet."

"What about her?" Dark asks, looking up at the ceiling.

"She's the queen of France, that's what." I retort sarcastically. "You said she...loves me?"

"Yes." Dark nods, still staring at the ceiling.

I scowl, getting tired with the one- word answers.  
  
I chew on my lip. I mean, Janet, she's one of the nicest people I've met, and she is pretty, and I've only known her for a few days, and her patience was practically endless, but I'm with Sean...I don't want to hurt anyone, and I have no idea what the hell I feel.

Dark sighs softly, closing his eyes for a moment. He seems so tense, but so relaxed at the same time.

I stand up, moving to a chair next to Dark. He opens one eye at me, then closes it, clasping his hands together in front of him and crossing one leg over the other. "What else do you want?" He mumbles, letting out a labored exhale.

"Jeez, nothing. Calm your tits." I turn to him. "So what are we gonna do?"

" _You_  are just gonna sit there and look pretty.  _I_  am going to venture into your boyfriend's head to try and kill his demon." Dark mutters, then opens an eye again. "You owe me one."

I nod. "Can't argue with that."

He sighs, then vanishes in a puff of black smoke.


	30. Chapter 30- Deserve Better

**Sean** -

A knife. It feels like someone shoved one into my fucking skull. I lift my arms to massage my throbbing temples- but I can't. My eyes fly open, and I wince at the white light, but when my vision clears, several things are obvious at once-  
I'm in a straight jacket.  
Mark's not here.  
I'm alone.  
Well, not completely. there's a worker, a young guy, sitting in the corner, looking at me, a nasty grin on his face.

I look at the man, then move my legs to my chest. I rest my forehead on my knees, taking deep breaths. Slowly but surely, I begin to panic. I remember what had happened before I passed out, the crying, the pain; I just wanted to do it all over again. I wanted to take back everything I said, everything I did. I just want to be normal. Is that too much to ask?  
  
Apparently.

Mark. The thought sends a physical pain shooting through my head, my chest. He...he must hate me. And he has every right to do so. Those words of comfort, those were probably just to make me feel better...he's too kind, even to those who don't deserve it. He deserved better.  
Deserved someone who wouldn't try to kill him in his sleep.

I can't help it as a small tear slips down my cheek, but I sniffle and quickly try to wipe it away on my pants. I wouldn't cry. I had to be strong. But... what was there to be strong for?

Minutes, maybe hours go by, and I wonder what Mark is doing. I wish they'd tell me something, it's driving me crazy, more than I already am. I look up when I hear a crackle, my heart soaring-  _Mark_. No, it's probably Janet, it wouldn't be Mark. Don't be stupid. My heart sinks.

"Hey, potato, what's up?" I hear a deep voice ask, and I almost sob in relief. "W-where did you go? You disappeared, I thought something happened..."  
Mark is silent for almost a minute, then in a higher voice goes "Er, something came up."

"O-Oh.. okay." I reply quietly, but just loud enough so he could hear me. Nothing came up; he probably just didn't want to talk to me. He probably hates me. This is just Janet telling him to be nice. Yeah... just her telling him to be nice.

"So, er, how did you sleep?" He asks, and I frown.   
"How do you know I fell asleep...? "  
He's quiet for a moment, then quickly says "Uh, Janet told me!"

"I... oh. I slept fine." I mumble, making sure he can hear me, just in case. I hear Mark sigh.  
"I'm sorry I can't come in to see you." He murmurs. "They won't let me in until they're sure it's 'safe'."

I sigh. "I don't blame them."   
"Sean, no, don't-"  
"Mark, it's okay. Really."  
"I'm gonna fix this."

"How? How can you fix it?" I snap at him, but quickly apologize when I realize my tone. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry..!"   
"It's alright, Jack." Mark says soothingly.

I open my mouth to speak, when I see something, like a shadow, flicker in the corner of my eye. I turn my head, but there's nothing there. Suddenly I feel another sharp stab of pain in my head, deep, and I gasp.

"Uh... Sean?" Mark asks, his voice echoing in the silence that had ensued.

"N-nothing, just my head. Headache." I say. The sharp stab faded quickly, but it's now replaced with a dull, steady ache, deep in my brain. "It hurts."

"Oh... maybe they could get you some medicine?" Mark suggested, keeping his voice a bit quiet, most likely for my headache.

"Y-yea." i say, looking towards the guy in the corner, but he's snoring, and with this damn jacket I can't move. The throbbing becomes steadily stronger. "Mark, it hurts!"

"Okay, okay, baby. They're coming with medicine, I promise." Right then, it felt like he was right next to me, trying to soothe me with his voice and with his words. I look around, and my heart sinks when I realize he isn't there.

I can feel tears in my eyes, and I hate myself for crying, and I can't tell what hurts worse, my heart or my head.

Two nurses come in, and one of them was Janet. I swear, I see a look of pure hate when her eyes fall on me, but it vanished quickly. Must be the headache... They give me a glass of water and two small pills, which they help me swallow due to the straight jackets restriction of movement. Then they leave, and I'm alone again.

Soon enough, there's a crackle, and I look up to the speaker.   
"M-Mark?"  
He doesn't respond, but I hear him and someone else arguing.   
I hear Mark snap "Why is he still in pain, then?"   
In response, I hear...Mark say "Listen, Mr. Ungrateful, he's putting up one hell of a fight. He won't even let me in. Anti's already being an ass, I don't need it from you as well! "  
"Well, then why are you here? Sean's alone and miserable, and you're here complaining!"  
"Hey, I'm not all too keen on this to begin with. Remember that it's  _his_ demon that almost killed you, killed us!"   
  


Is he...arguing with himself?

I try to focus on their- his conversation a bit more, furrowing my brow lightly in worry.  
"Well, you were the one who agreed with it!"   
"Oh, shut up. I'm just doing this to save your- our- MY life!"

He sighs. "Okay, okay, just please, finish this." He gives a huff in response, and I have to speak out, taking a moment to form my thoughts into words against the pain in my head. "Mark?"

The pain in my head gets worse then ever, and I finally let out the scream I've been holding back. The guy in the corner wakes with a start and darts out of the room.

"Shit." I hear Mark say, but it sounds like two of him are saying it.   
"Good fucking job, Dark!"  
"Oh, now what?! You're blaming ME for his pain?!"  
"YES! Yes I am! You're the one giving him the headache!" "For the last fucking time, it's not me giving him the headache, it's Anti!"

I vaguely wonder what the hell they're talking about, but the pain in my head makes it hard to focus on anything. "M-Mark?"I whimper pathetically.

"Hello, Jack." I hear Mark- no, Dark? Whatever. I hear one of them say. Another sighs.   
"It's fine, Sean. I'm sorry we bothered you." Mark... I think... says tenderly, and I hear gagging in the background.

"Mark, it hurts. Bad." I say. Bad is an understatement. An axe in my skull would be more accurate.

"The medicine didn't work?" He mumbles questioningly, but I don't have the strength to answer, and the pain in my head makes it hard to focus on the question, let alone form an intelligent response.  
"Oops." Dark shrugs.   
"Can't you do something?" Mark asks him. "Possibly?"

"The only way to fix it is to kill Anti. Anti's attacking him from within. Payback, on all of us.Well, mostly me, but all of us." He says matter of factly, as if saying two plus two equals four.

"Wh-What the hell is going on here?" I ask weakly, only managing to get out a sentence before screaming again in pain. All of a sudden, Mark- no,  _Dark_ appears in my room, looking like a negative image of Mark. My eyes widen.  
"Hello, Sean."

I shrink back, I can feel my my throat closing up, can feel his hands wrapped around it again, cutting off my air, and my breathing becomes fast and shallow.

"Hey. Calm down." He snaps at me, his arms folded behind his back. Seeing as this had no effect, he sat down, getting onto my level.   
"I'm here to help." He said in his most tender tone possible.

I stare at him, and my breathing begins to slow, becoming easier. If not for that aura, and those eyes...he could be Mark. I nod.

He lets out a sharp exhale, sitting back.   
"Thank you." He mumbles.   
"Is everything okay?" Mark asks over the intercom, his voice filled to the brim with concern.

"Yes, Mark, now stop your mommy worrying." Dark replies, sarcasm lacing his voice, and I smile slightly.

"Oh, shut up." Mark spits, and I let out a small giggle. Dark raises his eyebrows at this.   
"So, Sean. I'm going to try and explain to you what I'm going to do. Or I'll just do it. Whatever I feel like."

"O-kay...?" I say, smiling a bit at the absurdity of his words, despite being in horrible pain and scared shitless.

He thinks a small bit, then sighs.   
"Alright. I want you to lay down, and pretend you're going to sleep. Then, I'll actually make you sleep. It'll look suspicious if you randomly pass out. I'll get inside your head, and try to find your best memory to defeat Anti with. Sound like a plan?" Dark explains.

I feel him press a finger to my temple, murmuring words under his breath. Within seconds, I let sleep take hold, dragging me under its spell of relaxation.


	31. Chapter 31- New Morals

**Anti** -

"Oh my God, Wilfy, fuck off!" I snap, massaging my aching temples. Wilford has been trying to come through for the last half hour, and it's pissing me off. Darky may have said he has respect for Wilford, but I don't. I can't stand him, his stupid suspenders and ridiculous pink mustache. And that  _voice_...

He seems persistent, but soon relaxes. Everyone seems to want to visit old Anti all of a sudden- Wilford, Dark...

But I don't want them here. I want to be alone.  
"It's me, Anti." I hear Darks smooth voice purr. "I just came for a small chat; maybe a look around Jack's head."

I roll my eyes. Stubborn bastard, I knew he'd find a way in.

I scoff, not believing this for a second. He never drops by for a housecall. "Why all of a sudden are  _you_ visiting  _me_?"

"Tell Warfstache to fuck off." I add, still with my back towards him.

"I did, I did. Don't get your panties in a bunch." He mumbles. "And I've gotten bored of Mark's head. It's gotten so bland and boring." He sighs.

I laugh. "Yea, okay, sure."

After a few moments, I see him stroll in, straightening his tie. He seems to have renewed confidence, despite when I last saw him. I smirk a bit

"What are you laughing at?" he asks, and I smirk. "Nothing, Darkimoo."

He rolls his eyes, walking around, and then finally making his way towards me.

"It's not as... colorful as I had imagined."

"He's depressed, moron. His mind is darker then normal." I say, grinning.

"Oh, haha." He spins on his heel, taking in the bland scenery. There was what looked like black mold all over the place. In reality, it was his depressing thoughts, or rather, me.

I frown, realizing something...all those times I was in Mark's head..."Why isn't Mark's head like this?"

"I haven't managed to overpower the others yet. Any time I've tried, it's either Wilford or Host that stops me." Dark spits bitterly. "Bing hasn't tried to stop you?"

"Please, Bing knows better than to mess with me, I'll rip his wires out." I smirk. "Stop changing the subject, Dark. Why are you really here?"

"I'm  _bored_." Dark says, exhaling sharply. "I need something to do, and Mark is obviously not helping."

"So, what do you want me to do about it? Play dolls with you?"

"Show me around. Let me see what you've done. Maybe I could learn a few things." He growled a small bit at the end, as if it was hard for him to admit.

I smirk and wrap an arm around his waist, which he jerks away from, and I giggle at his discomfort. "Come, come. Over here we have his suicidal thoughts. To the left is his constantly lowering self worth. Here's the anger, and this huge section is all devoted to dear old Markimoo and his abandonment issues."

Dark studies this all curiously, particularly delving into the section about Mark. There are pictures on the walls- moving pictures, which just so happened to be memories of them together. Happy and sad. I just couldn't seem to tear the happy ones off, no matter how hard I've tried. I got visibly sick when I saw them.I walk over to him, crossing my arms over my chest. "Yep."

He's staring at the one where Mark, or, I guess  _he_ was strangling Sean.  
"One of my proud moments." He murmurs.

I smile. "There we go, there's the demon I know!" He shoots me a look of disgust. "Don't start, Anti."

"You know, you're a hypocrite, Darky. You flipped out when I tried to kill Mark and you, but you did the same thing."

"I've had a change of mind." He says, turning to me with his arms behind his back. "I suddenly have new morals. Which are :me before everyone."

"Quite the opposite of Mark's, actually." He adds.

"Mark's pathetic. A wussy do-gooder. He's too soft, it's amazing he's still alive." I snigger.

"He wouldn't be alive if it weren't for me." Dark points out, and I scoff.  
"Don't give yourself so much credit."

I roll my eyes and point to one of the memories, this one with sound. I can hear Mark's voice say "You're probably right, you know? I was fooling myself. I probably never loved you, actually. It was just the proximity, living together, and I had just left Amy, so I was lonely."  
"This one is my favorite." I say.

Dark nods a small bit.  
"Yes.. that one is a good one." He murmurs.

I turn to him. "What's wrong with you?"

He cocks an eyebrow, his eyes trained on the painting. "What do you mean?"

"You're different, Dark."

He turns to me and says abruptly "Show me the other memories." I sigh and lead him over to a brighter corner. "Here's the happy memories." I say, shuddering.

Dark's face paled slightly, and he covered his mouth as if he were about to vomit.   
"Ugh." He glanced around at most of them, narrowing his eyes at one of Mark. The memory was of them both at the wax museum, the day Mark showed Sean around L.A after he first arrived. God, that was so long ago. They were making dumb poses in front of a wax figure of Abraham Lincoln.

"Gross, right?"   
"Yea.." he mutters, staring intensely at the image before turning to me. "They had a lot of fun doing that." he says suddenly.

I blink, looking at him with a small bit of shock on my face.   
"Uh... yeah, I guess they did." I reply.

He nods. "They were quite happy. Just look at their smiles.." I frown. "Uh, Dark?"

"Hm?"  
"Are you sick or something?" I ask, furrowing my brow. "You're acting like... like Mark."

"Why would you say that?" he asks, strolling past the memories, looking closely at the ones with Mark. Surprisingly, he doesn't look too repulsed. "Sean loves Mark." he says suddenly, and I cough, a harsh, painful cough. Then again, and again.

He turns to look at me, and I catch a glimpse of a smirk before he turns around again.  
"B-But Ma-Mark doesn't love Se-Sean, does he?" I manage to choke out between coughs

"Of course he does, Anti. He'd die for Sean." Dark says innocently.

I'm attacked then by a coughing fit, and I have to stop. I place my hands on my knees, bracing myself as I hack up my fucking lungs.

Dark clucks. "Something wrong, Anti?" I look up at him. He's doing this. ""S-stop."

He smirks, a sinister look on his face. He's going to kill me. The sick fuck. He glances around, and looks to one where Mark and Jack were just cuddling. The memory is in Sean's perspective, and you can see Mark's brown eyes gazing at him, full of love and adoration.  
"That's adorable. They're so happy together." He coos, and I end up coughing up blood.

"What do you want?" I barely manage to choke out.  
"Now you care what I want? That's a first. You never did, and even if you did know, you never did it anyway." he says.

I manage to stand, but only for a moment as I stumble around. I eventually hit a wall, sinking down to the floor. Dark walks over to me.   
"Just f-fuckin' tell me." I spit on his shoes, a small bit of blood in my saliva. He looks at it, his lip curling in disgust.   
"Disgusting." He murmurs."I want you to lay off Jack. Way off. So much he'll forget you even exist." he says, and my eyes widen.

My mouth gapes.   
"Y-You- I-I can't. Do you realize how much of a-a living  _hell_ that would b-be? That's worse than death!Pl-Please, don't make me!" I practically beg.

"You want death? Because that can easily be arranged." He shakes his head. "You had your chance. You're making Sean's life a living hell, which means Mark will make  _my_ life a living hell."

I look around, seeing if there was any way out of this. I'm too weak to move, and there isn't any way I can distract him. I catch a glimpse of Bing, standing near a wall. I see a small smile graze his lips.   
"I- I won't disappear. I'll still a-appear, but not a-as bad." I manage to whimper out.

He rubs his chin with his thumb. "I..I suppose that could work. But you hurt him, or Mark, or  _anyone_ ,and I swear to God, Anti, I  _will not_  hesitate to kill you." He says, stepping closer and giving me a swift kick in the ribs. I gasp, and he smiles, glad to be the dominant one, causing the pain . The tables are turned, I guess.

I curl up on the floor, whining and holding the spot where he kicked. He looks around before striding off, eventually fading into black. I hiss under my breath, shooting daggers at his back with my stare.

Treated like this in my own domain. What utter bullshit.

And then he's back, walking towards me. "Are you gonna behave?" He asks, and I nod, glaring balefully at him. "Good boy!" he says, and walks up to me, smirking before patting me on the head, like a-like a dog. And with that, he turns around and walks away, blending into the shadows.

 

**Two chapters left...**


	32. Chapter 32- Cases Like This

**Mark** -   
  
It's been a few hours after Dark had come back. The hours waiting for him been utter agony, as Wilford was then the next in line. He would not. Stop. TALKING. I'm laying on the hospital bed, alone, staring up at the ceiling, and just generally being more at ease, knowing that Sean was safe. I hear the door click and the hinges squeak, so I look up to see Janet walk in, looking much more refreshed than when I last saw her.   
"You finally got some rest?" I ask her, and she nods.   
"Yeah. I feel much better, you were right."

I smile. "Er, so, do you think I could possibly visit Sean?"

Janet's previously happy expression faltered for a moment.   
"N-No, I'm sorry. We're still afraid he could hurt you. We'll wait a few days, just in case."

"A few  _days_?" I ask, heart sinking to my stomach.

"Yes." She confirms. "I'm sorry, Mark. We just have to be careful." She says, walking over and sitting down next to me. "We've had cases like this before, and none of them ended well."

_No, I'm pretty sure you haven't had two men with demonic alter egos trying to kill themselves and each other._

I nod, shoulders sagging. "Yea, y-you know what's best. You're probably right."

She smiles a small bit, then clicks her pen.  
"So, I'm just going to be checking up on you, see how you're doing." she says.

I nod. "Question time? Fire away."

"Alright... so, how're you feeling?" She asks me, flashing a small smile.

"I'm good, I guess. My throat feels kinda better. I just wish I could see Sean." I say, looking at the floor.

"Oh... we- well, you will." Janet mumbled. "Anyways.. how long have you and Sean been together?" She asks

I frown, not a hundred percent sure, it's all kind of been a blur. "Well, we've been friends for years, and we've been dating for...maybe a..month? Two?" I say uncertainly.

"I see." Janet whispers. "And... does anything else hurt?"

"No, I'm pretty good, actually." I nod, smiling.

"Okay, that's good." She nods. "Have you had any relationships in the past?"

"Uh, yea, I had a few high school girlfriends, and then Jess...and then Amy." I smile. Amy was great...she still is. One of my best friends, even though there isn't any romantic attraction now.

"Oh... I see. Now, erm..." she chuckles nervously. "Now, erm,what sexuality are you? Are you, er, gay?" She asks.

"What? No..I mean.." I frown. I've never thought about it, really. I mean, I love Sean, but it was also actual love with Amy, there was attraction and a connection there. "I...I guess I'm...bi?" I say, shrugging slightly.

She seems to let out a relieved sigh.  
"Would... would you like to go out with me?" She asks hesitantly.

I turn to face her, eyes wide. Shit, Dark wasn't kidding. "Um, uh, I, er, I um.." I say, stuttering like a moron.I sigh, running my hands through my hair. "Janet, I...I don't think you know what you're asking."

"I-I do, Mark. You're... you're amazing. You're so kind, and understanding.." she began to ramble, seemingly in a daze.

I smile, blushing despite myself. "Fuck." I mutter. "I-I don't know. I mean, you're really nice, and pretty and awesome and funny, and smart, and pretty damn witty, but...but what about Sean? And I'm..." I trail off. "Janet, I'm the mental patient, the insane person, and you're my nurse."

"I just figured- maybe I could be better than Sean. I could give you a chance at love without killing you." Janet muttered.

I look at her, silent. I mean, she does have a valid point...

Janet sighs softly, closing her eyes.   
"I'm sorry..."

I move over a bit closer, laying my hand on hers. "No, no, it's okay.."

She looks up at me, blushing gently.  
"Are you sure?"

I nod, looking in her eyes, then down at our hands. It's not Sean, and yet...I'm not moving my hand away.

She stares into my eyes for a moment before looking back down at our hands as well. I can hear Dark screaming at me in my mind. I wince, trying to tune him out. I'm so confused, he isn't helping. And I have no idea what the hell to do.

"YOU IDIOT!" I hear him shout. Janet then leans against me, sighing again.

"Shut up." I mutter, and Janet leans back a bit. "Huh?" "N-nothing, sorry." I say, and she gives a small smile. "Okay."

"I just risked my existence to save your boyfriend, and you repay me by doing  _this_?" Dark snaps, and I say nothing. I mean, we're not  _doing_ anything, and Sean needs to focus on getting better. What he doesn't know won't hurt him.

I hear him laugh bitterly in the back of my head.   
"This is going to have repercussions, I hope you know." He growls, and finally, falls silent.

I shiver slightly at his words, but a tiny voice in the back of my head says 'you can deal with that later.' I decide to follow that voice instead. Hey, lets blame it on the pain meds in my system.

Janet glances to a walkie talkie on her belt, which makes an unintelligible noise.  
"Whoops. That's me." She chuckles softly.

I nod, sitting back and clasping my hands together in my lap. "Yea."

"I gotta go. See you." She waves at me before walking out of my room, leaving me happier than before.

I smile at her retreating figure, not a hundred percent sure what just happened between us.

I mean, I have nothing to feel guilty about, or hide from Sean. Nothing happened, really, I didn't do anything.   
 _And yet you didn't try and prevent anything from happening. And if it did, you wouldn't have stopped it_. Says my irritating self conscious.

And, I mean, as much as I hate to admit it, she did have a point. It  _would_ be nice, to be able to go to sleep and not worry about being killed in the night by the person lying next to me.   
Live with one demon, not two.

I sigh to myself, pinching the bridge of my nose. I have a growing headache, and now every noise seems amplified up to 10. I lay down slowly, resting my head on the pillow. I can feel Dark glaring at me, but I try to ignore it.

"Stop judging me." I mutter, and he chuckles, well, darkly. "Oh, I'm doing more then judging, Marky." he says, and I open one eye slightly to peer at him. "What do you mean?"

He resting against the corner, his foot propped up on the wall and his arms crossed.  
"I'm planning." He purrs, smirking slightly.

I open my eyes all the way, sitting up. "Planning  _what_?" I ask, instantly on guard.

He chuckles sarcastically.   
"Oh, just a little something called karma. I work my ASS off to save your boyfriend so you wouldn't have a full demon by the time  _you_ get out of here." He pushes off of the wall, beginning to pace back and forth in front of me. "And HOW do you repay me? By hooking up with some other chick!"

"I-I-we" I splutter. "I-I didn't hook up with her! We didn't even kiss!" I defend myself desperately I'm following his movements, head going back and forth like a metronome.

"Uh-huh! Sure!" He responds sarcastically. "And I'm a rubber chicken. You two have given each other the 'flashing heart' eyes more than once!"

My brow furrows, he's right. Dammit. "Well, we..we didn't do anything?" I say weakly, a last attempt. My voice goes pathetically high at the end of my sentence.

"Oh, yeah. Like that solves everything." He spits bitterly.  "You'll regret this, Mark."


	33. Chapter 33- Hear Me [Finale]

**Mark** -

"You'll regret this, Mark."

"But, Dark-" I start. This is bad. Hours ago, we were planning together, cooperating, and now he's working against me. This is  _really_ bad.

"But Mark-" He mocks me, waving his hands dramatically. I exhale sharply through my nose, gritting my teeth and glaring at him from the bed.

He glares back. Soon enough, I hear something that makes my heart drop.  
"M-Mark?"

 _Sean_.

I take a deep breath. "H-hey, love." I say, and Dark gives a disgusted snort, looking at me in contempt before mimicking 'h-h-hey  _love'_ silently, complete with violent shaking, twitching, stuttering, and a gag at the end.

"So... is-is it true?" He asks, and I could feel the hurt in his voice, and practically see it in his expression. Dark smirks confidently, leaning against the wall.

I look at Dark, covering the mic with my palm. "You  _told_ him?!" I say it in a calm, controlled whisper, trying my hardest not to scream.

"I didn't tell him." He says innocently. "I turned on the mic, and I let him listen."

"I'm going to FUCKING KILL YOU!" I scream, abandoning the attempt to keep my voice low. My hands are shaking, heart pounding. I'm angry, I'm breaking, I'm falling apart, inside and out.

"Oops." He shrugs, and I can see the smirk on his face growing.   
"M-Mark? Is everything okay?" Sean asks.

I swallow hard. "Y-yes, babe, everything is fine." I say in a low, steady voice, as calm as I can make it.

"I-is it true? Because if it is, I don't want you to call me that." he says, and my heart drops. "W-what?" I whisper, and Dark makes a frowny face.

"I-It's not true, Sean. That's silly." I say, but it sounds like I'm trying to reassure myself more than I am Sean.  
"O-Okay.. so.. you're sure? I-If so... when do you think I can come see you?" He asks softly. It's like he's almost afraid...

I open my mouth to respond, to say 'right now', but nothing comes out. Instead, Dark walks up to the mic and says "Never. I never want to see you again."

"Wh-What?" He asks, voice breaking. "M-Mark, Mark, why?" I can hear the tears coming. Dark looks at me, a smirk appearing on his lips as he says, "I'm leaving you for Janet. She's just better for me."

"No, no, please, STOP, I'll do anything!" I scream soundlessly, but Dark ruthlessly continues. "Nobody actually loves you."

"Y-You don't m-mean that, r-right?" He asks, his voice shaking miserably.

"Of course I do." he says. "O-okay then." Sean says in a steely voice. I hear him knock on something, maybe the window? Then a muffled conversation, and a burst of static, and the line goes mute.

He got someone to turn off the intercom.

To turn off me.

"That's what happens to unfaithful bastards, Mark." Dark says. I ignore him. In fact, I ignore everything. All I can hear is my own ragged breathing and pounding heart. I walk over, fiddle with the intercom-nothing happens. He's gone. Dark sits in the corner, giving me a look that's a mixture of pity and disgust.

A while later, maybe an hour, after I've calmed down somewhat, the door opens and Janet walks in. Before she can say anything, I open my mouth and say "Yes. I'll go out with you."

She freezes, mouth hanging open slightly. 

"Really? What made you change your mind?" 

"Well, I thought about what you said, and it would be nice, a chance to be loved and not get killed." I say, and she stares at me. "I-I'll be right back." she says, practically running from the room. The minute the door closes behind her, Dark is up, he's coming towards me, he's grabbing me by the front of my shirt, he's dragging me off my bed, he's slamming me into the wall, pinning me there.

"What the HELL was that?" he snarls, and I shove him away, tears flowing down my face. "Don't. Don't touch me." I say. "Sean! Sean! SEAN!" I shout, desperately hoping some miracle will occur, hoping against hope that he's turned on his speaker, that he can hear me through the walls, that he can hear me somehow.

But there's no one to hear me, except myself and the demon beside me.

** The End. **


End file.
